Page 3531 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 September 2015
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part of their journey, there is one less vehicle on the road. The co-beneficial outcome over time is that those who are unable to make the choice to participate in active travel will benefit from a less congestive road network. Increased use of sustainable transport modes is beneficial for everyone in both the short and long terms.
Planners and designers from across the globe are constantly battling with the challenge of making active travel more attractive and safe. This is particularly important when attempting to encourage those undecided or unconvinced members of the community who are in a position to make the choice to walk or ride but have not yet done so. There are some key contributing factors which are taken into account when making a decision to change from driving a motor vehicle to walking or cycling, these being safety, convenience and comfort.
National and international jurisdictions have utilised a range of different measures in an attempt to provide some improved separation for on-road bike lanes. Melbourne has adopted a device known as a tram separator, which was originally used to inform drivers of an adjacent tramline. The city now uses it to delineate bike lanes in busy locations and alongside bike lanes at busy intersections. Barcelona, Spain has adopted a recycled rubber device known as the armadillo to reclaim road space for cyclists. Both the tram separator and the armadillo are raised plastic units like speed humps that are fixed to the road pavement.
The tram separator device was included in the Canberra trial following consultation with a range of stakeholders, including cyclists and professional drivers. It was preferred over the armadillo because it was believed to be less of a hazard to both cyclists and motorists. The tram separator was trialled in a specific location on Athllon Drive in Tuggeranong where there were numerous reports of vehicles using the bike lane on an approach to a roundabout.
The use of audio-tactile line markings, sometimes referred to as Vibraline markings, would have been experienced by drivers travelling on the Federal Highway to Sydney. They create a vibration if the driver starts to stray out of their lane and drives onto the markings. The device is used in both Sydney and Melbourne to reinforce the separation between bike lanes and vehicles. It is a less visual and physical barrier and also has a lower level of impact if a vehicle drives on it. The tactile line marking treatment was used on sections of higher volume roads, including Vernon Circle, London Circuit and the Barton Highway.
The third and final device trialled is known as a riley kerb, which is a low profile rubber kerb with reflective delineators along one side to increase visibility at night. Somewhere between the tram separator and tactile line marking in terms of the physical impact, the riley kerb comes in short lengths of 1.2 metres, which makes it ideal for use on corners or kerbs. This device was trialled at the intersection of Fairbairn Avenue and Pialligo Avenue near the Canberra Airport, a location where over 2,500 vehicles turn left every day and a lot of these are large or heavy vehicles.
To assess the effectiveness of each of the devices in increasing driver awareness of the bike lanes, ultimately by keeping cars out of the bike lanes, TAMS undertook observational surveys on a monthly basis. During three of these site inspections,
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