Administrator Welcome Minister's Safer Roads Announcement

Published on 14 August 2023

The Moira Shire Council’s Chair of the Panel of Administrators John Tanner AM welcomed the Minister for Roads and Road Safety’s announcement to help Councils make local roads safer.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne announced on Friday that the Moira Shire Council was among 11 local governments to take part in the first stage of the Labor Government’s $210 million Safe Local Roads and Streets Program.

Minister Horne announced that Councils will work closer with the Department of Transport and Planning and the Transport Accident Commission over the next four-years to identify, plan, develop and deliver more road safety upgrades on local roads across Victoria.

Mr. Tanner said the announcement was very important to the Shire because of its mounting death toll coupled with poor driver behaviour by many people.

“The Shire has recorded 10 road deaths this year to date on top of six (6) last year,” he said. “This is a significant increase over previous figures with 27 deaths over the five-years to date.

“Any death on the roads is one too many for the Shire.

“We welcome Minister Horne’s announcement and the opportunities it will bring to road safety and safer roads in the Shire.”

“We look forward to working closer with the Department of Transport and Planning and the Traffic Accident Commission on the program and a local plan based on local needs relating to road safety and driver behaviour.

“We all want to make a difference in the government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 to halve road deaths and reduce serious injuries by 2030 and eliminate road deaths by 2050.”

The Council recently erected a memorial in Cobram’s Federation Park to highlight road deaths in the Shire and the community spirit of its people following the municipality’s single highest road fatality with five local people being killed in a three-vehicle collision near Strathmerton on the Murray Valley Highway in April.