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Seeking community help to boost transport access and cut isolationWellington Shire is keen to receive community involvement in an innovative project it is leading, which is designed to help boost access to transport for those who would otherwise be left isolated from important services, jobs and social activities By Wellington Shire Council - 29th March 2004 - Back to News The Let’s GET Connected initiative is being run in partnership with East Gippsland Shire and has received three years funding from the State Government under its Transport Connections Program.
This project is particularly important to both Councils given the limited transport infrastructure that currently exists.
Key amongst groups in the community to be consulted are isolated seniors, those with disabilities and young people. They will be given every assistance to explore community-focused, common-sense transport solutions that address their particular needs and make the best use of local resources. A project steering committee has been formed which has broad representation from community organisations across Wellington and East Gippsland Shires.
The Wellington reference Group, made up of interested community members, will be further developed to establish working groups at a localised level – providing a valuable opportunity for individuals and organisations with an interest in transport to give their input and help steer the direction of the initiative. Anyone is welcome to participate and the role of these groups will be to:
- generate community-wide interest in the Let’s GET Connected initiative and highlight the opportunity to participate;
- gather information about local transport issues relevant to their particular communities and help generate ideas to advance the project in the most beneficial way;
- identify existing transport availability and encourage its use by the local community.
Said Wellington’s Mayor John Jago: "Let’s GET Connected is a very significant initiative, with the potential to deliver significant benefits to the community through improved access, mobility and community participation. We now need to drive this project forward to get well-targeted transport projects up and running, and fundamental to its success will be the community input provided through the working groups.
"Residents of small communities have historical knowledge, strong local connections and a long-term commitment to improving transport services. They are a tremendous resource and we want to provide every opportunity for them to get involved."
Any group or individual interested in taking part should contact Wellington Shire Council’s Transport Project Officer Sheryl McHugh for more information as soon as possible on 5142 3478.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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