ALGA welcomes new $150m Federal pilot program to improve safety of unsealed roads in remote areas
The
Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed a new Commonwealth
Remote Roads Upgrade Pilot Program that will offer councils 80 to 100 percent
of required funding to make unsealed local roads safer and more productive.
Over
75 percent of Australia’s road network by length – about 678,000km in total –
is owned and managed by local governments, with 61 percent of these roads
unsealed.
ALGA
President Linda Scott commended the program’s focus on delivering safer roads,
saying all councils were committed to minimising road trauma.
“Councils
are working hard to keep our communities safe on our roads, as one death is
simply one too many,” Cr Scott said.
“We
welcome this funding as a positive first step to ensuring our roads are safer,
in line with the soon-to-be-announced National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30.”
Cr
Scott said ALGA’s 2021 National State of the Assets Report – to be launched
next month – indicates that 14 percent of our unsealed roads are in poor
condition.
“The
state of local roads across Australia is a major concern, given that the road
toll in regional and remote communities is up to 10 times greater than in our
major cities,” she said.
“All
councils are committed to doing everything we can to ensure our roads keep our
communities safe, but this can be a challenging task in remote areas where more
financial support from the Commonwealth is needed.”
She
said eligible councils would welcome this new opportunity to improve safety,
equity, and productivity for their communities – benefits that will also be
felt at the national level.
“To
ensure no community is left behind, it’s vital that these grants are allocated
where they are needed most, with applications assessed against transparent
criteria.”
“Local
government has a proven track record of working with the Federal Government on
road safety programs such as Roads to Recovery and the Black Spot Program, and
we look forward to working with them on this new pilot program,” Cr Scott said.
Guidelines
for the Remote Roads Upgrade Pilot Program – which will target unsealed roads
longer than 20km – will be released by the end of the year.
ENDS