Bicycle Network: Take Action

RDAF Round two open for business

14 November 2011. Round Two of the Federal Government's Regional Development Australia Fund is open for business.

The program provides an opportunity for shared use paths and in particular Rail Trails, as the contributions these kinds of community infrastructure can make to sustainable regional development are well accepted. A new trail between Gawler and Tanunda in the Barossa region of South Australia was a successful applicant in Round One. Details of the program can be found here.

A number of Victorian trails would benefit from a successful application to this fund, such as the extensions of the Great Southern, Coast to Crater and High Country Rail Trails and the construction of the Daylesford - Macedon Ranges (Woodend) and Lilydale - Yarra Glen Rail Trails to name a few.

The list is not exhaustive—some trails already have funding to keep them going, and others may be ready for a bid by the next RDAF round.

Bicycle Network Victoria has encouraged Councils and local trail groups to submit applications. If you live in each of these areas and want to show your support for these trails, contacts are:

• Great Southern Rail Trail (South Gippsland Shire and Wellington Shire)
• Coast to Crater Rail Trail (Corangamite Shire)
• High Country Rail Trail (City of Wodonga)
• Daylesford - Macedon Ranges Rail Trail (Hepburn Shire and Macedon Ranges Shire)
• Yarra Glen Rail Trail (Yarra Ranges Shire)

Remember to be supportive and encourage Councils to take advantage of this opportunity. These are only some of the Council's around Australia that could really make use of this program.

Fed funding opens for trails

15 June 2011. The Federal Government has announced guidelines for application to its $1.4 billion Regional Development Australia Fund. The fund is particularly targeting investments across Australia's regions in areas dealing with health, education, skills, communications, infrastructure, water and climate change.

Investing in regional trails and bicycle networks in regional towns and centres can have a tangible, cost-effective impact on the health and well-being of communities, contributing to the expansion of recreational infrastructure base and helping stimulate sustainable economic growth through tourism and associated businesses.

Funding from this program is designed to "significantly improve economic and social outcomes" and "could include economic, social or community infrastructure which will expand the development and growth of regional economies"

With round one of applications closing on 13 May, no project details about what has been funded have yet been released. There will be many further opportunities for regional Councils and communities to submit funding applications for key trails.

The Daylesford - Woodend Rail Trail in Victoria, the Launceston - Herrick Rail Trail in Tasmania and a number of trails in Queensland are prime candidates for consideration, and Councils in those municipalities should investigate this new funding opportunity fully.