Greens would like everyone to look out for people on bikes a bit more

ACT Greens Member for Molonglo, Shane Rattenbury, is calling for an inquiry to investigate the the way the ACT deals with vulnerable road users.

“The term ‘vulnerable road users’ refers to people who are most at risk in traffic, and who are the weaker party in a collision. Essentially this means road users who are not protected by a hard metal shell. It includes pedestrians, pedal cyclists, as well as motorcyclists.

“These forms of transport are the ones we want to encourage more in Canberra, as we grow into a more sustainable, active and hopefully less-congested city.

“Unfortunately vulnerable road users still face disproportionate rates of injury on our roads. In the ACT in 2012, 4 pedestrians, 1 cyclist and 3 motorcyclists were killed. 3 motor vehicle drivers were killed. While 8% of all motor vehicle crashes involved injury, 57% of crashes involving bicycles were injury crashes.

“There are interesting and successful advancements being made all over the world, as well as a growing expertise in best-practice policies for vulnerable road users. The ACT Inquiry will provide opportunities for us to harness these new ideas and recommend improvements for our city.