Organizations can now apply for the 2025 British Columbia Vision Zero in Road Safety Grant Program for projects to make roads safer. Municipal and Indigenous governments, school districts, parent advisory councils, safety advocacy groups, Indigenous Friendship Centres, and charitable organizations can apply for up to $20,000 each toward road safety projects. Applications are being accepted today through to November 29, 2024.
This marks the fourth year in a row for the Vision Zero grants program. The grants are provided by the Government of British Columbia through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and delivered through regional health authorities. Additional funding top-ups are sometimes provided by the regional health authorities.
Organizations can use the grant funds to make infrastructural improvements to roadways, enact policies or enforcement measures, launch educational campaigns, or carry out other innovative projects that make travelling safer and more equitable for vulnerable road users, including people who walk, cycle, or scoot.
“These grants allow communities to invest in prevention,” says Medical Health Officer Dr. Murray Fyfe. “These future projects can eliminate preventable fatalities and at the same time, foster more active and ecologically friendly transportation—improving both human and environmental health. Every step we take toward safer roads translates into healthier lives and a more resilient health system.”
There were 919 road-related deaths in the Island Health region from 2002 to 2022.
In the 2024 grants round, $170,000 in Vision Zero grants was announced for 10 communities within the Island Health region. Some of the projects funded include new lighting and signage, support for lowered speeds, cycling and road safety lessons for children, and a pilot to help new drivers in remote and rural areas get their license.
Eligible groups can apply online at Vision Zero BC.