Community groups awarded funds for road safety initiatives

• Inaugural round of WA Government supported Streets Alive grants now awarded
• 61 community groups received $5,000 seed grants for projects to calm local traffic
• Streets Alive program totalling $5 million to be managed by Town Team Movement in partnership with Main Roads and WALGA over five years

The Cook Government is helping Western Australian communities to improve road safety at a grassroots level, by awarding $299,700 of grants in the first round of the Streets Alive scheme, which is delivered in partnership with the Town Team Movement (TTM).

Sixty-one applicants from the Kimberley to the Great Southern were successful in securing seed funding of up to $5,000, with the aim of reducing the speed of vehicles driving in their suburbs, or regional towns, making local precincts more people-friendly.

The program's first round of grant recipients included local governments, community groups, P&Cs, Community Resource Centres and Town Teams.

Examples of successful applicants were the Kardy Connect and Reflect event in the Perth suburb of Kardinya, gathering local intelligence on driver behaviours and street improvements; the Cowaramup Wheelie Bin Gala for street calming in the South West town; and the Shire of Chapman Valley's research into road safety issues around Geraldton.

The first round of Streets Alive funding aimed to build the capacity of local communities to conduct research, enabling them to change local attitudes and behaviours around speed, improving the safety of town centres.

The next round of TTM's Streets Alive grants, which will fund street transformations up to $100,000 each, is due to open in August 2024.

TTM is a citizen-led, not-for-profit, independent initiative that works collaboratively with residents, local governments, and businesses, with the support of Main Roads, the Department of Transport, the Road Safety Commission, RAC WA and the WA Local Government Association (WALGA).

Comments attributed to Road Safety Minister David Michael:

"This was the first Streets Alive funding round, offering $5,000 per grant, so it was pleasing to receive 87 applications from communities who want to make their roads safer and their town centres more connected and vibrant.

"Speed reduction projects that are facilitated by people for their own local community are successful in slowing traffic and protecting pedestrians and cyclists.

"The Town Team Movement's important work at a local level supports the Cook Government's investment in road safety initiatives.

"I look forward to seeing what can be accomplished by the successful applicants in this grant round, as well as the next round of grants worth up to $100,000 per project, which opens in August."

Comments attributed to WALGA President Karen Chappel AM JP:

"WALGA congratulates all 61 successful applicants and applauds them for their commitment to reducing the speed of vehicles driving in their area, making local precincts more people-friendly.

"It is initiatives such as these that allow local governments, the communities they represent and other community groups to directly influence the development of their towns, fostering a stronger sense of safety, ownership and pride among residents."

Comments attributed to Town Team Movement Co-Founder Jimmy Murphy:

"We're thrilled with the response to the Streets Alive program with its first round attracting 87 grant applications, with 44 of those from the Perth metropolitan area and 42 from across regional WA.

"This program is all about government working with communities to spark change. Already almost $300,000 is being injected into local communities at the grassroots level to make safer streets for people. It's a remarkable achievement and we look forward to a great response from local communities to the next grants round."

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