TravelSmart and Local Area Access Program grants

The TravelSmart and Local Area Access Program (LAAP) grants provide funding for innovative projects addressing the attitudinal, physical and institutional barriers to choosing sustainable transport.

Since 2006, over $13 million has been awarded to local councils and organisations to deliver more than 90 TravelSmart and LAAP grants projects in partnership with the Department of Transport.

The partnership grants program enables organisations to investigate and deliver local sustainable transport solutions through TravelSmart and LAAP. By implementing travel plans and/or developing small-scale infrastructure works, the grants also build the capacity of local government to deliver travel behaviour change projects across Victoria.

Information on this page

2009/10 Local Area Access Program grant guidelines
About TravelSmart
About the Local Area Access Program
Contact details
Funded projects

2009/10 Local Area Access Program grant guidelines
The Local Area Access Program is a demonstration program focused on improving access for people travelling to local destinations by walking or cycling.
LAAP supports the implementation of small-scale local access infrastructure through grants to eligible organisations.

The LAAP was set-up as a four year grants program, receiving $16 million in funding to June 2010. The remaining funding available for LAAP 2009/10 is approximately $2.5 million.

Applications will be assessed against current policy priorities for walking and cycling outlined in The Victorian Transport Plan, Keeping Melbourne Moving and the Victorian Cycling Strategy.

The themes for the 2009/10 round are:

Priority locations
DOT has identified priority locations to be targeted in the 2009/10 round. The Victorian Transport Plan, Melbourne @ 5 Million and Victorian Cycling Strategy have identified a number of key spatial priorities for investment in transport.

LAAP will support these priorities by giving preference to applications from organisations within these areas:

Bush fire recovery pathways and signage fund
A small fund ($600,000) has also been set-up through LAAP to support reconstruction after the recent bushfires for affected townships. This grants-based fund will be assessed and allocated in partnership with the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority. The fund will contribute towards infrastructure reinstatement and improvements to local walking and cycling networks, in and between affected townships, as well as associated signage.

Applications
Applications for LAAP will be accepted from eligible Victorian local governments. Interested local government organisations are required to meet with a representative from the Sustainable Transport Programs Branch of the Department of Transport to discuss their proposal prior to submitting an application.

Applications for funding will be evaluated by a panel appointed by Department of Transport with input sought from relevant agencies as required. In reviewing the applications, the panel will give consideration to how well the project meets the selection criteria. The panel will only refer to the application. Project applications that meet all of the assessment criteria will be considered preferentially in the assessment process.

Applications should be submitted by 2pm on 18 September 2009. All projects must be completed by June 2010.

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About TravelSmart

TravelSmart is a travel behaviour change program which has been effective in encouraging people to choose to substitute some of their car trips with sustainable travel alternatives. Since 2002, the program has been successfully run at a number of localities across Victoria with projects varying in size and scale. TravelSmart has reached out to over 700,000 Victorians and is continuing to promote smarter, greener travel choices.

While TravelSmart is a national travel behaviour change program, the Victorian TravelSmart approach is to develop and implement travel plans using a five-step travel planning methodology. Travel planning is flexible and site-specific; it can be applied across schools, workplaces, universities and communities. Travel plans encompass a range of actions that form a strategy to effectively address travel behaviour change.

The grants program funds travel planning projects that also increase the capacity of organisations to deliver and sustain travel behaviour change projects.

For more information about our methodology and projects, please visit the TravelSmart website.

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Local Area Access Program (LAAP)

The Local Area Access Program (LAAP) is a four year program that aims to demonstrate how local access by walking, cycling or public transport can be improved, or increased, through practical, place-based initiatives.

LAAP supports local governments and organisations to deliver small-scale infrastructure projects to improve access within local areas. The program also supports projects that seek innovative solutions to local access issues and encourage the use of sustainable transport options.

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Contact details
To obtain a print copy of the any of the documents above or for further information:

Email: Sustainable Transport Programs
Telephone (03) 9095 4459

Or write to:

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Funded projects

In 2006, the first round of TravelSmart and LAAP grants were opened. Since then, over 90 projects have received funding for projects across Victoria.

Round Three 2008-09 TravelSmart and Local Area Access Program grants announced in February 2009:

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council: Reconnecting Children to Place through Active Travel – School Travel Plans
Mildura Rural City Council: Mildura - Cycling its way to better facilities
Campaspe Shire Council: Echuca Pedestrian Cycle Travel Links
Whittlesea City Council: Epping Pedestrian and Cyclist Access Improvements
Macedon Ranges Shire Council: Lets Get Connected, New Gisborne
Southern Grampians Shire Council: To improve various walking and cycling links to Hamilton
City of Port Phillip: Fitzroy Street Foreshore Connections
Darebin City Council: Re-prioritising Signalised Intersections for Pedestrians
City of Greater Geelong: Linking Geelong’s Cycle Network through wayfinding signs
Kingston City Council: Finding Your Way to Chealsea Activity Centre
Monash University: Clayton Campus Bike Arrival Station
Ballarat City Council: Partnership with Creating Better Places (DPCD)
City of Yarra: Pedestrian and Bicycle Priority on Brunswick Street
City of Yarra: Napier and Johnson Street Bicycle Signalisation

Round Three LAAP projects that received funding in the first round of 2008–09 include:

City of Melbourne: Bike-Pod Trials and Bike Station Investigation
City of Stonnington: Sharing the Crossing (Alexandra Ave and Chapel St, South Yarra)
City of Boroondara: Raised Pedestrian Crossings, Kew Junction,
City of Boroondara: Safety and Priority for Cyclists and Pedestrians at intersections
Victoria University: Bicycle Hubs for Footscray Park and Footscray Nicholson Campuses.
Ararat Rural City Council: Ararat Central
City of Greater Bendigo: Bendigo Linear Trail Intersection Treatments
Moira Shire Council: Cobram Urban Design Framework - Pedestrian Streetscape
Colac Otway Shire Council: Helping you get there - Beechy Precinct Colac
Deakin University: TravelSmart
Glenelg Shire Council: Glenelg on the move
City of Greater Geelong: TravelSmart Southern Suburbs
City of Knox: Knox Connections - Knox Central
City of Moreland: A new way for Gowanbrae
City of Whittlesea: TravelSmart in Epping and Growth Areas

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Round Two LAAP projects that received funding during 2007–08 include:

City of Greater Bendigo: Walk Bendigo
City of Ballarat: Shared Path Connectivity Project–Ballarat Buninyong Road, Mt Clear
City of Banyule: Heidelberg Sustainable Hub
City of Boroondara: Gardiner's Creek Trail
City of Brimbank: Cannon Street Bridge
City of Casey: Linking Cranbourne Town Centre to the Community by Improved Accessibility
Darebin City Council: LaTrobe University to Macleod Station Walking and Cycling Link
Knox City Council: Linking Bayswater
Manningham City Council: Doncaster Activity Centre
City of Whittlesea: Last Links to Marymede Catholic College
Wyndham City Council: Hoppers Crossing Pedestrian Access
Western Bulldogs Football Club: Whitten Oval–improved access points and walk / cycle facilities

Combined Local Area Access Program and TravelSmart grants:

University of Ballarat: Ballarat’s First TravelSmart Community
City of Hobson’s Bay: Linking Laverton
City of Moonee Valley: Buckley Street Underpass
City of Maribyrnong: Crossing the Street
Victoria University: Active West: Active Transport
City of Whitehorse: Route 75

Round One LAAP projects that received funding during 2006–07 include:

Campaspe Shire Council: Echuca Pedestrian/Cycle Links
East Gippsland Shire Council: Mitchell River: Bridging the Great Divide
Golden Plains Shire: Moving More
Hobsons Bay City Council: Sciencewalk to Scienceworks
Inner Melbourne Action Plan Implementation Committee (IMAP): Greenlight Project
IMAP: Regional Coordinated Pedestrian Signage project
Manningham City Council: Doncaster Hill Boulevard Pedestrian Underpass–Improving Pedestrian Connectivity and Safety
Manningham City Council: Doncaster Hill–Pedestrian and Cycling Link Improvements
Maribyrnong City Council: Footscray Pedestrian and Cycling Improvements
Maroondah City Council: Croydon Access Improvements–Croydon Train Station to Croydon community facilities
Moorabool Shire Council: Bacchus Marsh Bridge and Shared Paths
Moreland City Council: Widford Street Island Refuge
Moreland City Council: Coburg Wayfinding Strategy
Nillumbik Shire Council: Diamond Creek twenty20–pedestrian / cycle path
Port Phillip City Council: St Kilda Region Wayfinding Project
Southern Grampians Shire Council: Balmoral Equitable Access Pathways (BEAP)
Swan Hill Rural City Council: Swan Hill Transport Links
City of Whitehorse: Box Hill–Connecting Places

See the TravelSmart website for further information about the TravelSmart program and funded projects.

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