Fact Sheet 21 - Safer Road Users - Cyclists

Some Queenslanders are turning to travel by bicycle instead of short commutes by car in response to congestion, environmental and health issues (Queensland Transport 2008, p25).

Similarly to pedestrians, bicycle riders are much more likely to be injured in the event of a crash than motor vehicle occupants (Queensland Transport 2008, p25).

European research suggests that the risk of being killed per traffic kilometre travelled is more than seven times higher for cyclists than for car occupants, with the severity of injury sustained in crashes also higher (Townsend and Avenoso 2008, p30).

During 2008 there were seven bicycle rider and pillion fatalities within Queensland, representing 2.1% of the Queensland road toll (Data Analysis Unit 2009). This is three fatalities (or 30.0%) fewer than the previous year and one fatality (or 12.5%) fewer than the previous five-year average (Data Analysis Unit 2009).

It is sometimes argued that cycling and walking should be discouraged, as they are less safe modes of transport than a car (Townsend and Avenoso 2008, p27). However, research suggests that the public health advantages of walking and cycling, e.g., a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, outweigh the risk of death or injury from road crashes (Townsend and Avenoso 2008, p27).

Therefore, in order that riders can be kept safe while still maintaining a level of mobility, there is a need to provide suitable separate off-road cycling facilities, especially where the other options for cyclists are riding on higher-speed roads where injuries sustained in crashes will be more severe.

Bicycle helmets substantially reduce the risk of death or brain injury for cyclists (Australian Transport Council 2008, p48) and still need to be actively promoted and policed to encourage compliance.

RACQ members support the introduction of harsher penalties for cyclists who break road rules and fail to use appropriate lights at night, run red lights, disobey road signs/markings, fail to wear helmets and fail to give way. In part, this reflects a view that, as a bicycle is a vehicle and is acknowledged as a legitimate means of transport, the bicycle rider needs to behave in a responsible manner, similar to other road users.

The RACQ’s 2009 Pet Peeves survey, which received responses from 10,250 Queensland road users, found that cyclists who blatantly disobey road rules, e.g., running red lights, failing to wear helmets and failing to use appropriate lights at night, was the third most concerning road user behaviour overall. For the 158 cyclists who responded to the survey, the most concerning behaviours were:

• Drivers who fail to give way to pedestrians, cyclists or motorcycle riders when required;
  
  
• Drivers who travel too closely to cyclists or motorcycle riders when overtaking; and
  
  
• Drivers who open vehicle doors without looking for cyclists.

Providing a safe co-existence between cyclists and other traffic through better education, enforcement and engineering – particularly in busy urban environments – is, and will continue to be, an ongoing challenge for all road users, agencies and authorities.

Priorities: Cyclists

1. Continue educational campaigns to inform motorists and cyclists on how to share the road safely with each other.
   
   
2. Continue to support education with enforcement activities that serve to encourage safe behaviours and compliance by all cyclists.
   
   
3. Provide separate, adequately signed cyclist facilities on new and existing roads, where practicable, to reduce risk of interaction with motor vehicles in the traffic stream.
   
   
4. Monitor trends in the use of bicycles and whether any negative road safety issues are arising.
   
   
5. Improve cyclist helmet use rates and cyclist conspicuousness through public awareness campaigns.
   
   
6. Review penalties for cyclist offences with a view to matching monetary fines to seriousness of offences and raising awareness of rights and road safety responsibilities, e.g., appropriate training programs.
   
   
7. Improve the planning and implementation of local cyclist safety initiatives and facilities across the community, e.g., off-road networks and routes that run parallel to arterial roads leading to business centres and ensure the quickest routes are also the safest.
   
   
8. Ensure that the application of policies to encourage cycling take into account the associated risks involved with their increased exposure to vehicles and the road environment.

References

Australian Transport Council 2008, National Road Safety Action Plan 2009 and 2010, Australian Transport Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

Data Analysis Unit 2009, Personal Correspondence to RACQ, 03/06/09, Queensland Transport, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Market and Communications Research December 2008, RACQ Safety Policy. Survey: Quantitative Research Report, Market and Communications Research, Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia.

Queensland Transport 2008, Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2008-2009: safe4life, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Townsend, E. and Avenoso, A. 2008, Road Safety as a right and responsibility for all: A Blueprint for the EU’s 4th Road Safety Action Programme 2010-2020, European Transport Safety Council, Brussels, Belgium.

Traffic and Safety Department 2009, 2009 Pet Peeves Survey Results Report, RACQ, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Contact

For more information contact RACQ Traffic and Safety on 1300 853 658 or 07 3872 8925, or email traffic@racq.com.au.