For the fourth year in a row, B.C. organizations can apply for provincial funding to help make roads safer.
Open to school districts, parent advisory councils, safety advocacy groups, Indigenous friendship centres, charitable organizations and municipal and Indigenous governments, the Vision Zero in Road Safety Grant Program, which the province launched in 2021, provides $20,000 to each successful applicant to fund road-safety projects.
Organizations can use grants to upgrade roadways, launch educational road-safety campaigns or introduce road-safety policies or enforcement measures.
The goal: to eliminate serious injuries and deaths on the roads.
"People make mistakes and sometimes these mistakes can result in road crashes and injury," reads Vision Zero's website. "However, if the government, health professionals, road designers and road users work together to implement proper safety measures, the severity of these crashes can be minimized and we can prevent serious injuries and death in our communities."
According to Vision Zero's website, 79,000 British Columbians are injured in motor vehicle crashes every year; 250 more die.
“These future projects can eliminate preventable fatalities and, at the same time, foster more active and ecologically friendly transportation – improving both human and environmental health," said Dr. Murray Fyfe, one of Island Health's medical health officers, in a news release. "Every step we take toward safer roads translates into healthier lives and a more resilient health system."
Last year, the province distributed $170,000 in Vision Zero grants in the Island Health region alone. Funded projects included new lighting and road signage, cycling and road safety lessons for children and a program to help new drivers in remote and rural areas get a license.
The province will accept grant applications until Friday, Nov. 29.
For more information, visit: www.visionzerobc.ca.
