Road safety a priority at council

The night bus services of Batemans Bay and Narooma, a novice motorcycle rider training course and a workshop to help supervisors of L-platers become safer drivers were among five road safety programs given a funding boost at council today.

Eurobodalla Shire Mayor, Lindsay Brown, said the Kings Highway Road Safety Partnership also received a boost at the July Ordinary Meeting where council accepted more than $33,000 from NSW Roads and Maritime Services' (RMS) Local Government Road Safety Program.

"We are very grateful for the funding. Road safety is a high priority for this council and our community," said Cr Brown. "The roads in our region provide important links to health and other essential services in our towns and in Canberra, and their condition and driver safety are so important to the wellbeing of our community."

"Each of the programs that received funding today will assist council in meeting some of the key objectives set out in the Road Safety Strategic Plan 2013-2017."

The RMS funding will cover 100 percent of costs borne by council to run the following road safety programs:

The Batemans Bay ($3,500) Night Bus funding will be used to promote the project which is managed by the RMS and operates on Saturday nights during summer. The Night Bus services offer late night alternative transport for patrons at licensed premises and aim to reduce drink driving, drink walking and anti-social behaviour.The Narooma bus funding ($4,050) will be used to pay for promotion and security. The Narooma service is managed by council and is part funded by three local venues and is expected to run six nights between Christmas and the New Year.The Kings Highway Road Safety Partnership ($20,000) is a collaborative program coordinated by council with Batemans Bay, Queanbeyan and Shoalhaven Highway Patrols, ACT Policing, Roads and Maritime Services, NSW-ACT Road Safety Trust, ACT Government, Queanbeyan and Shoalhaven councils. It been working since 2007 to reduce road trauma during the peak holiday season by using a combination of public education and enforcement in the ACT and on the south coast.The Novice Motorcycle Rider Training Program ($4,000) follows a successful trial two years ago and will provide Eurobodalla learners with a chance to get the best possible skills and training that until now have only been provided to their larger regional and metropolitan counterparts.The graduated licensing scheme workshop, Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers ($1800), will be run twice over the next 12 months and is designed to help parents and supervisors understand the new laws for learner and provisional drivers and provide them tips on how to use the log book and plan their driving lessons.