Page 5343 - Week 14 - Thursday, 19 November 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
One of the initiatives we would like to see promoted is a safe cyclist project. This would target both safety, by focusing on visibility, and cyclist etiquette and obeying the road rules. We think that maybe there could be things like free reflective accessories for cyclists which contain messages about cycling etiquette and that this could be a way that we promote visibility of cyclists and encourage better relations between different road users.
On that note, I would like to point out that all users of our roads need to be responsible, regardless of the mode of transport. I have seen irresponsible actions from car drivers who brush past cyclists. Equally I have seen very irresponsible acts from cyclists who break road rules or wear all-black clothes at night with no lights. We have seen pedestrians, also, who cross roads diagonally with their backs to the oncoming traffic. We all have to behave responsibly on the road, no matter what form of transport we use, and we do not want there to be generalisations like “bikes are bad” or “car drivers are unsafe”.
I would like to finish off in the small amount of time I have got left reflecting on some of the things that Mr Coe said but in general about bike riding and where bike riders choose to ride. Before I was elected here, I used to ride my bike to Bruce, which was a much harder ride, because it was up a hill. It was harder physically, but mentally it was a lot easier, because there was plenty of space on the roads or they were nice suburban roads. Now I go down Northbourne Avenue, which is the opposite. From a mental point of view, it is kind of scary riding down Northbourne Avenue. The trucks are next to you. They are big and they do not always stay where they should be. I know as a car driver myself that car drivers do not always see you. Every time you go past a cross street, you are wondering whether the car is going to see you. Almost always it does, but you always have that slight feeling of “oh my God, will it?” There is a real need for on-road cycling lanes, but they are not the only path. The other alternatives are footpaths. There are issues with footpaths—I have run out of time. (Time expired.)
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (3.49): I also thank Ms Bresnan for bringing this matter to the Assembly. The ACT government takes the safety of all road users very seriously. Earlier this year, the government embarked on a series of roundtables with key stakeholders on the future of road safety in the territory and whether the ACT could adopt a vision zero approach to road safety from 2011 onwards. But the ACT’s record of road safety does not begin here.
The ACT government has a strong history in ensuring our roads are safe and secure for all road users, particularly those users who are vulnerable. Within the Department of Territory and Municipal Services, Roads ACT has a special road safety unit which shas undertaken advertising and awareness-raising activities over the past few years. As we know, road safety is something we all need to be aware of and take responsibility for. Road engineering and traffic control are not the whole answer. That is why this advertising, which raises awareness of road safety, is so important and includes specific road safety advertising aimed at increasing awareness of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and novice drivers. There is also advertising aimed at increasing awareness of specific behaviour affecting all road users, such as speeding, using mobile phones while driving, drink-driving, tailgating, and the danger of driving whilst fatigued.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video