£140,000 in road safety grants available for communities
At Right To Ride a hefty percentage of what we do involves issues and concerns regarding motorcyclists’ safety.
We sit on the DOE’s (Department Of the Environment) Road Safety Forum and have reported on and studied motorcycle rider fatalities in Northern Ireland, thus our top issues are really all about road safety in whatever form.
Through Right To Ride we have applied for and been successful with previous road safety grants to enable the continuation of Ride It Right www.rideitride.org to run with St John Ambulance – First Aid Training For Riders – www.firstaidtrainingforriders.org and through our own funding set up Biker NI Safety Card www.bikernisafetycard.org with funding also made available in the second year by PSNI – Bikesafe.
News has just reached us that the Department of Environment has appointed CTA to deliver a programme of funding. This will support individuals and community groups in developing and implementing initiatives, programmes and activities aimed at further reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
The CTA is now inviting applications for the DOE road safety grants from the voluntary and community sector. Groups can apply for small grants of up to £15,000 to develop and run a community-based road safety project.
To qualify, groups must be properly constituted, have a bank account and be able to complete the project by March 2015.
Key Message – Creative Ideas
Bryan Myles, CTA Director of Consultancy said, “This is an excellent funding opportunity for locally-based groups to get some extra funding for the benefit of the whole community. The funding will enable them to make our roads a safer place, by using their most creative ideas to raise awareness of the main causes of road collisions and to engage with the most vulnerable road users, particularly in places which are normally hard to reach”.
Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: “We in government have done and are doing a lot to reduce death and serious injury on our roads. Proposed reductions in the drink drive limits and changes to driver training, which I have recently introduced into the Assembly, are testament to that.
The key message which constantly needs to emerge though is that road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Community groups therefore play a vital role in getting the message across in their areas. It is only right that we provide funding for community groups who come up with innovative ideas for sharing the road to zero road deaths. That is why the Department welcomes initiatives that encourage the whole community to get involved in raising awareness of the issues.
I welcome CTA as the charity which will ensure these grants get to the best community projects and I wish them well in that endeavour. To all road users, I urge you – Respect Everyone’s Journey”.
The CTA has arranged two Information Sessions for potential applicants to find out more about the fund and how to make a better application. The sessions take place on Thursday 5th June 2014 from 10:30am to 12:30pm at Rural Community Network, Cookstown and on Friday 6th June 2014 from 10:30am to 12:30pm at NICVA, Belfast. Please contact CTA to reserve your place at one of the information sessions.
If you have concerns about road safety and can deliver an innovative, community-led road safety project then the CTA can provide financial support to help you achieve your goal.
What innovative road safety project would you consider that could make a difference to motorcyclists?
Information
To find out more about the information sessions, receive an application pack or speak in more detail about your project, then contact CTA on 028 9094 1664 or email roadsafetygrant@ctauk.org
An application pack is available to download from the CTA website: www.ctauk.org/roadsafetygrant or on Facebook Roadsafety Grant
The closing date for applications is Friday 20th June 2014 at 12:00 noon. Successful groups will be notified in July 2014.
About CTA
The CTA is a UK-wide charity providing leadership, learning and support to member organisations, which in turn deliver innovative and flexible transport solutions to achieve social change in their communities.
The CTA in Northern Ireland promotes excellence by providing a wide range of services and support, including advice, training, e-based resources, publications, consultancy, events and project support for voluntary, community and accessible transport. Further information on the CTA’s work is available at www.ctauk.org.
Organisations and individuals can join the journey towards zero road deaths by pledging their support for the campaign at www.sharetheroadtozero.com
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