Victorians will have safer journeys on the state's roads thanks to a funding boost by the Australian and Victorian governments for more lifesaving infrastructure.
This additional $56 million investment in road safety in Victoria will fund another 29 lifesaving projects, bringing the total investment in 2021 through the Road Safety Program to more than $300 million.
The bulk of this investment is being targeted in regional areas, including the installation of flexible safety barriers and rumble strips.
This will help lower the risk of the two most significant causes of deaths on regional Victorian roads: head-on and run-off-road crashes.
Of the extra funding, almost $49 million will be invested in regional Victoria to deliver 18 road safety projects, with the remaining funds directed toward traffic calming, safer pedestrian access and electronic speed limit signs at schools and other high traffic pedestrian areas in metropolitan Melbourne.
The Australian Government's funding for the Road Safety Program is subject to 'use it or lose it' provisions and will deliver lifesaving treatments on regional roads and protect vulnerable road users across Victoria, while also supporting local jobs and providing a welcome boost to local economies.
The 'use it or lose it' provisions require states and territories to use their notionally allocated funds within a timeframe, or the funds can be reallocated to projects in other jurisdictions.
The initial $245 million investment in the Road Safety Program is already delivering results with more than 59 projects in regional Victoria delivered.
