Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes was in Moruya today checking out the Moruya-Moruya Heads pathway as Eurobodalla Shire Council plans to submit an application for $2.5m in funding to complete the project.
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The pathway project has been rumbling along for almost 21 years thanks to volunteers from both Moruya and Moruya Heads, and the project came to public attention in 2008 when Danielle Brice's son Christopher was killed in a pedestrian accident along South Head Road.
Mrs Brice was at the site on Friday, February 4, as Mayor Mat Hatcher, Bega Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs, Gilmore Liberal candidate Andrew Constance, and Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes were on hand to announce the application had been submitted.
"It's a cause that's been close to my heart for nearly 14 years since we tragically lost our youngest son Chris in a pedestrian accident on August 8, 2008," she said.
"My heart is beating out of my chest again today, this is absolutely fantastic to have the opportunity for funding towards a safer pathway that has been worked on by the community for 21 years now.
READ ALSO: Council Agenda for first meeting of 2022
"The support from council has been amazing - we talk about connectivity and the right for people to have a safe passage from A to B, and the connectivity between Moruya and Moruya Heads is so important.
"There are so many people who live out there, young people and people with families, and they need a safe pathway.
"I can't say thanks enough to everybody that's been involved, particularly our pathway members who have kept pushing for two decades."
Mayor Mat Hatcher said it was important to "connect villages and towns to the main centres".
"There's more than a few bikes around, and getting people into town more and getting them out and living a healthy lifestyle is very important," he said.
"One of the biggest things for me was building the relationship between state government and local council - it was just this morning we were speaking about this issue, and that communication has brought about our funding application.
"I thank the ministers for coming down today."
Former Bega MP, and current Gilmore candidate, Andrew Constance said the council had applied for $2.5m in funding through an Active Transport program.
"I've worked quite closely with Danielle on this project, and Fiona (Kotvojs) will see this through for the community," he said.
"I know this is a project that is very special and dear to the people of Moruya and Moruya Heads, and incredibly important to anyone who knows Danielle.
"Council has done a great job to get this application over the line, and Rob (Stokes) will steer it over the next few weeks.
"This government has put millions of dollars into pathways in this electorate, and if I was to bet on it, I reckon the bike would win.
"There's no doubt the community wants this type of asset - we can have debates about the big things like hospitals and bypasses, but you can't forget what happened here.
"This is about getting our kids off the roads and safely onto footpaths. That's where lives are saved because of these pathways."
Bega Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs said said she was a "strong supporter of bike paths, full stop".
"I'm really pleased about the active transport program and this particularly project," she said.
"We've got a couple across the electorate: there's this one which has been started and not yet completed, and there's one in Bega which goes from Bega to Kalaru and hasn't finished out to Tathra.
"We've got a few other projects across the electorate, and I'll be encouraging applications for grant funding to see if we can't get those finished.
"I'd really like to see greater connectivity so the bikeways aren't isolated."
Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes said he believed the project had "real merits".
"Active transport is about linking communities together, and here you've got a perfect example," he said.
"This is a passionate community who has been working with a vision for more than 20 years to get this project done.
"I'm convinced, having seen it, this project has real merit.
"There's a process to be followed and a decision to be made in the coming weeks, but I'm confident, provided this project meets the parameters of the program, which I'm sure it will, it's exactly the sort of project that should be funded.
"Ultimately I'm the guy who will make the decision on the funding. I can't pre-empt anything because applications haven't formally closed yet, but having see it you'd be foolish to not realise how important this project is to the community."