Arrive Alive 2008 - 2017

Cyclists

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Each year, around eight cyclists are killed on Victoria’s roads. The First Action Plan will implement the Safe System approach to reduce cyclist's deaths and injuries, including investing in significant infrastructure improvements and extending Victoria’s network of arterial cycling routes.

 

Area of action	Actions
Public education	Undertake public awareness campaigns to improve cyclist safety. Provide education resources that promote safe cycling practices, particularly targeting primary and secondary schools.
Enforcement	Enforce increased helmet wearing and use of lights, and discourage failure to stop at traffic signals.
Legislation	Review existing legislation to ensure that cyclists can be charged with serious traffic offences similar to those applied to drivers.
Infrastructure	Implement engineering treatments to: extend the Principal Bicycle Network (PBN) in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria develop and implement projects that link road cycling facilities, off-road routes and suitable nearby roads where competing demands preclude development of sections of the PBN improve standards for bicycle facilities by providing safer measures to separate cyclists from busy traffic streams investigate speed limit reductions and traffic calming measures at locations where cyclist activity is high.
Legislation	Review existing legislation to ensure that cyclists can be charged with serious traffic offences similar to those that apply to drivers.

Summary of cyclist measures

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.