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Cyclists to be free to ride slowly over pedestrian crossings

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SIMON Corbell has the happy news that cyclists will soon need feel no guilt at all about riding across pedestrian crossings.

“Cyclists will soon be better protected from traffic, with a minimum passing distance of one metre, and will be able to ride slowly across pedestrian crossings,” Simon said.

The changes are part of the government’s response to the Legislative Assembly inquiry into vulnerable road users.

Having carefully considered the committee’s report, the government has agreed to 18 recommendations, agreed in principle to five recommendations and noted the remaining five recommendations.

“The trial of the minimum passing rule will include a requirement that motorists provide a minimum distance of one metre in speed zones 60km/h and below and one and a half metres in speed zones above 60km/h.

“The government believes that a minimum passing rule will play an important role in educating the general community about the vulnerability of cyclists in relation to other more powerful vehicles.

Shane Rattenbury has welcomed the Government’s response saying “the reforms promised today cover the spectrum, from improvements to planning and design rules, new educative measures, infrastructure improvements, and reforms to rules and regulations.”

The agreed reforms include:

  • Planning and design reforms to prioritise vulnerable road users;
  • Trialling laws that require vehicles to leave a 1m or 1.5m gap when passing cyclists;
  • Reforms to allow cyclists to ride across pedestrian crossings;
  • Reform to drivers license requirements to ensure testing of responsibilities towards vulnerable road users and;
  • Community consultation on slower speed environments and changes to planning and design standards to create safer urban environments.

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7 Responses to Cyclists to be free to ride slowly over pedestrian crossings

Think's this is dumb. says: 25 September 2014 at 4:42 pm

How is this smart? The number of cyclist that I see take a hard right turn in front of me across a crossing as I start to move off amazes me. This will just kill more cyclists. What is Slow? I have never seen a slow cyclist.

I allow for pedestrian walking speed when I am at crossing. If I now have to allow for cyclists doing 20km/hr and comming out of now where that’s a massive change to how people drive. Something tells me this will be a steep and painful learning curve for a lot of people.

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Dot says: 26 September 2014 at 2:50 pm

I would love to see cyclists encouraged to be mindful and respectful of pedestrians. In Civic they veer all over the footpath, approach from behind at speed without ringing their bell, appear from behind corners, ride the wrong way down bike lanes and then jump onto the kerb without warning. I could go on.

Sooner or later a pedestrian is going to be seriously injured, and I am not kidding.

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Richard Griffiths says: 26 September 2014 at 6:12 pm

What’s “slowly”? Will it vary with the visibility of the cyclist’s approach route to the crossing? Who will enforce “slowly” and punish cyclists who exceed it, or will it just be enforced by Nature (or motorists) culling those who exceed it?

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