At Bicycle NSW we love learning about people and companies making roads safer.
When Crashes Happen
Everyone wants to make it home safely, and the press is full of the stories of when things go wrong. Whilst articles and statistics about safety failure can act as a warning, or highlight the need for legislative, vehicle or road change, they don’t show us what to aim for.
Bicycle NSW has drawn on the overseas CLOCS example of measures shown to make heavy vehicles safer, to then call for changes in NSW. But Australians are good at coming up with new ideas.
New Ideas To Make It Safer
Last July the Federal Road Safety Fund announced it would provide $12 million over four years to support road safety research and technology development. The first thirteen projects to receive support included a project by Federation University to develop: “a virtual rail concept to reduce corner cutting by semi-trailers in order to protect vulnerable road users.”
In NSW we have seen the implementation of mobile phone detection cameras to reduce distracted driving. Drivers using their phones had become a familiar sight to most bicycle riders, as the riding position often means we can see into cars. Changing this behaviour and reducing distracted driving benefits everyone, including the driver.
Bicycle NSW advocated for technology to make light rail tracks safer for bike riders, which led to a tender advertisement. What innovation or piece of research do you think should come next?
“Bicycle NSW members are full of good ideas, so we’re inviting you to share,” said Bicycle NSW General Manager of Public Affairs, Bastien Wallace.
“If you have an idea for new road or vehicle technology, or a research project that would make roads safer for bike riding, let us know,” said Bastien.
If you have heard of a company or person who sets safety standards you’d like to see everyone adopt, why not share that too. You can get in touch with Bicycle NSW at info@bicyclensw.org.au
Safety On Spokes
This article is a part of our 2 month Safety on Spokes Campaign where we cover a range of topics to make a better environment for bike riders in NSW.
