Cyclists
On average, eight cyclists are killed on Victoria’s roads each year.
Several issues are critical to improving road safety for cyclists:
Speed limits: Lower speed limits significantly improve safety for cyclists. A cyclist struck by a vehicle travelling at 40km/h or more is unlikely to survive.
Vehicle safety: The design of vehicles contributes significantly to the severity of injuries sustained by a cyclist in a collision. For instance, a cyclist struck by a van or four wheel drive with a high bumper is much more likely to incur serious head injuries than when struck by a bonnet type passenger car.
Infrastructure: Providing vehicle-free paths and facilities for cyclists is an extremely effective way of improving their safety.
As speed is a key contributor to cyclist road trauma, traffic calming measures such as speed humps and roundabouts that reduce the speed of vehicles in local streets also reduce road safety risks.
What the strategy will do
Measures taken to improve cyclist safety under arrive alive 2008-2017 will include:
- Designing new roads and roadsides, and improving existing roads to the safest levels practicable for cyclists including traffic calming measures, safety fence and barrier treatments, and improved crossing facilities.
- Increasing off-road cycling paths and facilities that separate cyclists from motorised traffic.
- Setting speed limits according to the safety standards of locations with high cyclist activity.
- Conducting targeted public education campaigns to encourage safe cycling practices.
- Conducting consumer awareness raising campaigns to discourage purchase of large, aggressive vehicles, including those with rigid bull bars, and to increase take up of vehicles with features that do less harm to cyclists.
- Improving compliance with road rules by all motorised and non-motorised road users using enforcement and education.
- Review the existing legislation to ensure that cyclists can be charged with serious traffic offences similar to those applied to drivers.
- Influencing town planning and residential layout to facilitate safe travel for cyclists.
