Driving at night will soon get a whole lot easier across the Tamworth Electorate with substantial NSW Government funding provided to all four councils to enable them to install and maintain street lighting.

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said the funding provided under the Traffic Route Lighting Subsidy Scheme would make it easier for motorists to navigate the streets at night and improve road safety once the sun sets.

“We all know how difficult it can be to drive through busy residential areas at night, particularly if there isn’t adequate street lighting to light up potential hazards,” Mr Anderson said.

“This scheme compensates our councils for operational costs associated with street lighting, which keeps the lights on and the streets safer.”

Full details of funding provided to each council is as follows:

• Tamworth Regional Council - $170,000
• Gunnedah Shire Council - $21,000
• Walcha Council - $11,000
• Liverpool Plains Shire Council - $40,000

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the Government was investing record funding in road safety to ensure people reach their destination safely when driving on regional roads.

“One death on our country roads is one too many and it takes a suite of measures to save as many lives as possible, like improving our roadside infrastructure,” Mr Farraway said.

“We have invested $640 million into the Saving Lives on Country Roads program, targeting locations in regional areas where chances of an accident are greater.

“We’re also installing 2700 kilometres of rumble strips – the equivalent of driving from Sydney to Adelaide and back again - along regional highways to combat driver fatigue.”

The Traffic Route Lighting Subsidy Scheme will help cover capital costs for new and improved street lighting, maintenance work, network distribution and energy consumption costs.

Councils can receive a subsidy of up to 50 per cent of the Australian Energy Regulator’s approved pricing to assist in rolling out a better level of lighting than otherwise provided on state, regional and designated roads.