Cumberland Community School’s parent advisory council will be receiving funding from Vision Zero to improve road safety.
The $12,859 will be used for the Village on the Move Safe Travel Project. They will install speed-activated radar warning strobe lights, along with fence signage to direct vulnerable road users, like pedestrians, to cross safely at the crosswalk.
It’s among 37 projects approved for the province’s Vision Zero funding. The program provides total funding of up to $575,000 to local organizations that support road safety.
Sixteen of the approved projects were in Indigenous communities.
Organizations can apply for up to $20,000 per project for safety upgrades. The projects can include improvements like crosswalk infrastructure, closed streets, traffic calming and speed limit reductions among others.
The grants are funded by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and Vancouver Coastal Health.
B.C. says road safety is a priority as road injuries and deaths are a significant cause of healthcare system usage. Around $300 million in health care costs are because of road injuries every year.
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming says the improvements may also encourage different transportation methods as roads get safer.
“Increasing the accessibility to active transportation networks and other green modes of transportation is an important part of B.C.’s Recovery Plan that will help us come back from the pandemic stronger,” said Fleming.
“These investments will support road safety improvements and help to create more safe options for walking and cycling that improve travel, particularly for people in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.”
This year is the first year Vision Zero funding has been provided to all health authorities in the province.
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