Council has adopted a new Road Upgrade Policy and a Road Safety Strategy, providing clear frameworks to guide future investment, improve road safety and support more consistent decision-making across the municipal road network.
CEO Andrew Tenni said the Road Upgrade Policy would help Council make evidence-based decisions about future road upgrade priorities in a way that is fair and consistent across the Shire.
"Council understands how important local roads are to the daily lives of our community, particularly for residents living and working along unsealed roads," Mr Tenni said.
"This policy gives Council a clear process for assessing road upgrade requests and prioritising projects in a transparent and consistent way."
Council manages approximately 1,061 kilometres of unsealed roads and 566 kilometres of sealed roads, making it essential that future upgrades are prioritised strategically and in line with available funding.
"Council has limited financial capacity and a growing infrastructure renewal backlog, so we need a fair and objective framework to guide decisions and support future funding opportunities," Mr Tenni said.
General Manager Infrastructure and Environment Doug McNeill said the adopted Road Safety Strategy provides a clear and evidence-based framework to help Council focus resources where they can have the greatest impact on reducing the risk of injury and loss of life on local roads.
"Road safety is a priority for our community, and this Strategy gives Council a practical pathway to plan, advocate and invest in improvements across the Shire," Mr McNeill said.
The Road Upgrade Policy does not select individual roads for immediate upgrade. Rather, it sets out a consistent assessment process so future projects can be ranked against defined criteria, including traffic volumes, properties serviced, lifecycle cost benefit, road hierarchy, crash history, verified safety risks, future growth potential and traffic diversion risks.
The Road Safety Strategy is supported by an Action Plan containing 19 short, medium and long-term actions across five themes. It will inform future capital works programs, funding applications to State and Federal Government, and initiatives to improve the safety of Council-managed roads.
Council will also develop a Road Safety Network Plan to identify safety improvement opportunities across the road network, including specific treatment options and a prioritised list of projects. The plan will support future investment decisions and applications for external funding.
The shire-wide Road Safety Strategy was developed with $50,000 in funding from the Transport Accident Commission.
"Thank you to everyone who took the time to make a submission or speak to Council through the exhibition processes," Mr Tenni said.
"Your feedback has helped strengthen these important documents and will help Council better communicate how road upgrade requests are assessed and how road safety priorities are planned for the future."
The adopted Road Upgrade Policy and Road Safety Strategy are available to read on our website.
