Four communities and municipalities in the region were among those who were approved in the latest round of funding announced on Dec. 29 from the Provincial Traffic Safety Fund.
The funding was among Road safety projects in 66 communities that have been approved for grants totalling $750,000. A total of 70 road safety improvement projects were approved, with grants ranging from $547 to $72,300.
Projects include speed display signs and other speed reduction initiatives, as well as funding for intersection and crosswalk improvements. A full list of approved projects and grant amounts is attached.
“Everyone in Saskatchewan benefits from safer roads in our communities,” Minister Responsible for SGI Don Morgan said.
“The communities who applied know their roads better than anyone, and the provincial government is pleased to assist their efforts to improve traffic safety. The next intake for applications begins in January, and I encourage other municipalities and Indigenous lands or territories to consider applying.”
Towns and villages receiving funding from this round include the Town of Big River which received $17,805 for the purchase and installation of solar-powered speed display signs, and crosswalk beacon at high-risk traffic areas. The Town of Spiritwood received $8,803 for a speed management project, which includes Purchase and installation of speed display signs, stop and yield. The Village of Bjorkdale received $8639 for the installation of a traffic speed display sign and the Village of Bjorkdale received $8,39 for the installation of a traffic speed display sign.
Local RMs receiving funding included the RM of Bjorkdale that was funded for separate speed display signs at Barrier Ford for $3,968 and Marean Lake for $3,974. Also receiving funding was the RM of Tisdale, which received $13,662 for the purchase and installation of portable speed display signs.
This is the fourth round of Provincial Traffic Safety Fund grants. They are derived from the proceeds of photo speed enforcement (PSE). Since the program began in 2019, there have now been a total of 197 projects awarded, totalling more than $2.25 million.
Applications are assessed by the PSE Committee, which includes representatives from the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, the Prince Albert Tribal Council, the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Highways, and SGI.
In order to be eligible for a Provincial Traffic Safety Fund grant, a proposed initiative must target specific concerns, including statistics to support how the project would address concerns regarding injuries, deaths, and collision. Applicants must also include a well-defined action plan with specific, measurable objectives and must demonstrate that previous measures to address those safety concerns have been unsuccessful.
Provincial Traffic Safety Fund grants are awarded twice each year, and applications for new PSE locations are evaluated once annually.
The PSE Committee will begin accepting applications for the next round of Traffic Safety Fund grants, as well as applications for new PSE camera locations, January 1, 2021. The deadline for both applications is March 31, 2021.
