Tag Archives: vulnerable road users

Barriers to active travel: perceptions of a safety

Active travel faces many barriers. One is our perceptions of a safety, or fear. As a society, we seem to be getting more fearful. Our perceptions of safety are important. Psychology and neuroscience has come a long way to explaining our nature. The availability cascade is a contributing factor in our perception of risk.

Section 4: Safety

This section provides data on the trends, risks, and costs of Canberra car culture, where vulnerable road users have ‘no place on our road’, and the young and the old are particularly at risk. They are disadvantaged not only due to cognitive (or physical) limitations but also due to the lack of options. Some of the best reasons for fixing active travel in Canberra are health, human equity, and safety.

Vulnerable road users: Hansard 22 June 2021

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.

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.