Jo Clay MLA introduced an amendment to the Transport Act to encourage motorists to show more concern for vulnerable road users. The effect of the bill would be to increase the fine, but her speech was of a more general nature and sheds light on her thinking.
Category Archives: safety
Making our cities feel safe so that we are encouraged to cycle and walk instead of taking the car.
Vehicle occupant and cars safer: pedestrians left behind
In a society that gives priority to keeping the traffic moving at speed (time is money), little consideration is often given to the vulnerability of pedestrians and cyclists. Road safety is still mostly about the safety of vehicle occupants. Yet it is the vulnerable road users and not the vehicle occupants that mostly get hurt in a collision.
Black is black: Spot the human being on 2 wheels!
No matter what you might think – or tell yourself and others – you wear black, dark navy blue or dark grey and you will be very, very had to see! And, no, this is absolutely not about victim blaming! That would be much too easy. This is about many years of studying physiology, psychology, human factors, and neuropsychology.
Safe Speed: promoting safe walking and cycling by reducing traffic speed
Safer walking and cycling is most easily achieved by reducing traffic speed. We have known this for over a decade but do too little to curb road speeds. A remarkable report summarises the Australian cycling problem as we find it today: Dr Jan Garrard, Safe Speed: promoting safe walking and cycling by reducing traffic speed, Heart Foundation, City of Port Phillip and City of Yarra, Victoria, November 2008.
Section 4.8 Measuring cycling safety
More needs to be done about cycling safety, and it starts with reporting accidents. For road cyclists, this is how.
Riding to school in the snow
It is not the cold that stops kids from riding to school but the lack of safe infrastructure. All parents are concerned about their children’s safety. In Finland, children will ride to school on snow in subzero all year round. Clearly, the cold does not hold them back. Without a separated bike path and swept bike paths, it would not happen.
Section 4.5 Pyrrhic victories in road safety
In making roads better for cars we have made an environment hostile to people and in particular children.
7 good reasons for cycling
Cycling is good for Canberra and makes our city people-friendly. There are so many good reasons for cycling. Now is the time. The benefits of cycling from the Dutch Cycling Embassy.
Prediction: more bikes but more cars too
The cycling boom is most welcome, but Covid-19 has discouraged the use of public transport as well. We are now more likely to drive to work. Roads are dangerous for cyclists. It is not surprising that many cyclists will not ride to work.
ACT Road Safety Action Plan 2020-2023
“Road Safety. It’s Everyone’s Responsibility.” The ACT Government’s focus on road safety. The report is disappointingly inaccessible, considering the importance of the topic. The slogan “Everyone’s Responsibility” denies that those that can cause more damage and harm have more responsibility. This is accepted with truck drivers, but not cars drivers.