At last week’s local government conference the Shire of Manjimup was awarded the WALGA Roadwise Road Safety Award for The Safe System Approach – Complementary Initiatives (Rural/Remote).
The Shire of Manjimup received this award for their Road Traffic Safety Policy. The first of its kind in Western Australia the policy embeds safe system principles throughout the organisation by implementing a road safety management system. The policy will guide Shire Officers and Councillors in the planning and delivery of road maintenance, construction and other operational activities across the road network managed by the Shire.
“The Shire has control of 512 kilometres of sealed roads and 900 kilometres of unsealed roads across our district. With 42 deaths and serious injuries on Shire roads between 2016-2020 the creation and adoption of a road traffic safety policy was a necessity in the interest of public safety and asset management” commented Shire President Paul Omodei.
The Road Traffic Safety Policy was adopted by Council in July 2022. The Policy is based on the safe system which is guided by four principles; fallibility, vulnerability, shared responsibility and systems approach. These guidance principles are discussed within the Policy and have a direct link to human behaviour on the road.
The Policy also gives consideration to the improvement of road traffic safety with regard to:
- roads & roadsides
- intersections
- travel speed
- driver behaviour
- fleet safety
- incident response; and/or
- footpaths & cycle paths
Co-authors of the Policy, Michael Leers, Director Works & Services and Catherine Mills Manager Technical Services, attended the awards which were held as part of the WA Local Government Association Annual General Meeting. The AGM was attended by over 100 Local Governments within WA including delegates. Michael Leers accepted the award on behalf of the Shire stating “it is fantastic to receive such an award – working with Roadwise has been enlightening and highly beneficial to the Shire”. “As a newly registered Roadwise Council we hope to maintain the valued relationship for many years to come” commented Michael Leers Director Works & Services.
The Policy can be viewed on the Shire website at www.manjimup.wa.gov.au/policies
