Representatives of Bicycle NSW, the Amy Gillett Foundation, the Motorbike Council of NSW and BIKEast joined with Sydney Buses staff at Randwick Bus Depot to share safety messages Saturday, December 15.
The absence of separated bike infrastructure in most of NSW, means riders sticking to the left end up cycling in bus lanes and often mix with buses in urban environments.
State Transit CEO, Steffen Faurby, as a cyclist, was keen to show his support for safe passing. Depot Director, Rod Primerano, and the team from the Randwick Bus Depot made everyone welcome with a BBQ lunch.
Road safety messages remind all road users to share the road and watch out for each other, but this event helped highlight the practical challenges each user faces. Drivers were invited to hop on a bike that was positioned at the safe passing distance to help them understand what it feels like for bike riders.
Everyone was offered the opportunity to check out the blind spots bus drivers deal with by sitting in the driver’s seat on a standard bus and a ‘bendy’ bus. We were also invited to view video captured on bus cameras showing the impact of road user behavior on drivers, passengers and even a cyclist.
Channel 7 coverage helped spread a clear message ahead of the holidays that we all need to watch out for each other and share the roads.
“We appreciate the efforts of Randwick and Waverley Bus Depot managers to engage with bike riders and make our roads safer. We encourage other depots across NSW to do the same,” said General Manager of Public Affairs, Bastien Wallace.
Bicycle NSW encourages bus depot managers and BUGs to reach out to each other over the holidays.
