A Local Government Road Safety Working Party, chaired by the Municipal Association of Victoria, was formed in 1997 to review the current status and effectiveness of road safety actions on roads under the management of local government across Victoria. The Working Party proposed a plan to reduce road trauma in local streets, focussing particularly on vulnerable road users - pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, the young and the elderly. The Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) was commissioned to undertake research to analyse accident patterns and recommend cost-effective countermeasures, focussing on engineering, education and enforcement. Two municipalities were chosen for the research: the City of Ballarat, the second largest provincial city in Victoria, and the City of Brimbank, a rapidly growing municipality in Melbourne's western suburbs. This paper describes the approach taken to problem identification and countermeasure selection in these two municipalities and the lessons learnt for implementation of "Safer Roads", the Local Government Road Safety Initiative across Victoria. (A)
Abstract