New program to help make our roads safer

The City of South Perth has secured a $71,000 Federal Government grant to help keep our roads safe.

The City was one of twenty successful recipients across Australia to receive funding from the Road Safety Awareness and Enablers Fund.

The grant will assist the City to purchase and install ten electronic speed awareness signs in identified speeding hotspots around the local community, including school zones, community facilities and sporting reserves.

The electronic signs highlight the speed of passing vehicles, displaying an image of a happy face or sad face, which is intended to act as a reminder for drivers to slow down and keep to the speed limit. The project is planned to also involve the implementation of road safety workshops and the production of education materials for the community.

The project is scheduled to be rolled out over two financial years with five speed awareness signs to be installed each year, beginning on 1 July 2020, finishing on 30 June 2022.

City of South Perth Mayor Greg Milner welcomed the funding announcement, saying community safety is of paramount importance, particularly around our schools.

“A trial project run by the City and WALGA’s Roadwise program in 2017/18 had a positive effect on reducing speed through a school zone in Salter Point.  Before the trial, 38% of drivers exceeded the speed limit, during the trial 85% of drivers were assessed as being on or under the speed limit,” Mayor Milner said.

Road safety is one of the priority areas of the City’s Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan. For more information visit our website.