Page 1182 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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cyclist and one of the reasons why I do it is that I need the exercise—reduced traffic congestion, an increase in the viability of local shopping areas, and a contribution to the vitality of our public places.
Unfortunately, as Mr Stanhope said, the reality is that Canberra, and Australia in general, has established a strongly car-oriented environment. There are many public policy and regulatory factors that favour car use and make other travel choices more difficult than car travel. However, more and more people in the ACT are interested in leaving their car in the garage and getting around our city centres in a more healthy and sustainable way. As an example, the number of bicycles entering Civic during the morning peak hour has risen by almost 50 per cent in the last four years.
Taking direct steps to support pedestrians and cyclists through improved facilities and planning improves the safety of these travellers and also makes the city environment safer and less intimidating. Interestingly, the risk to walkers and cyclists is inversely proportional to the volume of pedestrians and cyclists; that is, it is safer to walk or cycle in a city where there are more walkers or cyclists. The increased visibility means that motorists are more aware of other travellers. So planning our towns to support cyclists and pedestrians is actually a key catalyst for road security. On this note I would also put in a little plea to the people who are planning the upgrade of Bunda Street to look very seriously at putting in dedicated space for bicycles. The physical security of people in our cities is also improved if there are people around. “Peopled” places are safer places.
Mr Stanhope talked about road statistics. It is an unfortunate reality that in Canberra pedestrians are grossly over-represented in road casualty and fatality statistics. Pedestrians accounted for 20 per cent of ACT road fatalities in 2005 and 14 per cent in 2007. In 2007, they accounted for six per cent of ACT road casualties. This is a very sad statistic.
Cyclists are also injured or killed on our roads far too often. A 2004 report on cycling safety from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau reported that around 2,500 cyclists are seriously injured on the public road system each year. Cyclists also account for two per cent of road deaths.
In regard to cycling statistics, the ACT compares fairly well to the rest of the country. This fact can be partly attributed to our relatively good network of on and off-road cycle paths. But there is still an enormous amount of work that we can do in the ACT to improve this situation, not just by improving cycle paths but by thinking more broadly about how to make transport planning more balanced. Examining the options for reducing speed limits around town centres and shopping centres is an important part of this thinking. Speaking as a cyclist again, if the cars are not going that fast around you, it is much less intimidating.
Evidence from around the world shows that low vehicle speeds make a substantial difference in reducing the risk of injury to cyclists and pedestrians. The World Health Organisation has reported that speed is the single most important contributor to road fatalities. Pedestrians and cyclists are at the greatest risk of excessive or inappropriate vehicle speed. The World Health Organisation also examined the probability of fatal
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