The Victorian Government has recently launched a new road safety campaign aiming to improve relations between cyclists and motorists. No doubt spurred on by the recent Shane Warne incident the program concentrates on findings that show we are ruder on the road than in other aspects of our lives.
Minister for Roads Terry Mulder said, “We know many bike riders feel that drivers resent their presence on the roads, and many drivers are unaware of the challenges faced by bike riders, or even realise they are there.
“Eighty-eight per cent of drivers and bike riders agree there needs to be greater mutual respect between road users.”
Our own anecdotal evidence shows that it doesn’t take much for a cyclist v motorist debate to flare up, either on the road or in any daily discussion.
An increase in the popularity of cycling in recent years, for recreational and commuting purposes, means motorists would be wise to be more aware of their obligations and, perhaps just as importantly, simple courtesies.
Mr Mulder explains an improvement in cyclist–motorist relations requires a two-way approach, “It is important that drivers and bike riders take shared responsibility for staying safe on Victoria’s roads. Even though the majority of bike riders know the road rules, according to the research there is a minority who continue to flout the law.
“While most bike riders ride to minimise risk, some see risk taking as acceptable, and may be prepared to break road rules if they think it is safe and they will get to their destination faster.”
That can often be a trigger for motorists to claim the moral high ground. In reality it doesn’t matter who is in the right if an accident occurs; basic physics tells us the motorist is likely to ‘win’ such an impact. But at what cost?
As always your approach to road use, either in your car or on your bike, requires an appropriate attitude and a healthy respect for all other road users.
For more information check out the Road User or Abuser program on Facebook.
5 replies on “Road User or Abuser: Which one are you?”
I try to be patient on the road as I am a driver by trade. But the other day I was parked at the intersection of Elizabeth st and Flemington rd,Melbourne the big round about for about 2 hours. And in that time I counted 53 pushbike riders using the bike track, but going straight through the red light. Some of them even going up onto the footpath. I believe that all road users should pay a cost, car rego, bike rego so bicycles should also pay some sort of rego. But most of all the should obey all the road laws, they are not just for the select few. What would happen if the disobeyed that light and got hit by a car.
I understand your frustration Janet. The trouble is motorists also break road rules as often, if not more often, than cyclists. No indicators, speeding, failing to stop at stop signs and so on.
We’re all guilty.
Rather than pointing the finger I think a better approach is to concentrate on what you can control and have a positive attitude to sharing the road.
A major problem in the difficulty between motorists and cyclists is that the average motorist only takes notice of the minority of cyclists who break the rules, the majority doing the right thing are invisible to most drivers. Likewise, when I’m cycling I don’t take notice of the majority of drivers who do the right thing.
As both a driver and a cyclist, I would support a licensing/registration scheme that would apply to all cyclists wanting to use roads with a limit of 60 km/h or higher. It would have to be a very low cost, in recognition that the purpose of road rego is used to repair the damage motor vehicles do to the infrastructure (which bikes don’t) and I would support it being a combined license/rego linked to the cyclist (i.e. ride any bike) rather than the bike, so you would clip it onto your bike or pin it onto your shirt.
The main thing people need to learn is respect.
The minority of cyclists who disobey the law need to understand that their actions make it hard for others to predict what they will do next.
The drivers who get aggravated need to understand that people cycling is a good thing for them on so many levels.
Less space used on the road = less time spent waiting in traffic, lower emissions = cleaner air, lower demand = cheaper prices from all parts of the motoring industry, less damage to infrastructure = reduced frequency of roadworks.
Just a little more respect is all that’s needed – leave a metre when overtaking, wait for the right spot to overtake, look before opening your door when parked parallel. Leave a minute or two earlier for a trip through the hills and you’ll still get there on time even if you do have to slow down for a few seconds rather than overtake a bike at an unsafe spot.
Above all – this applies to everyone, drivers, cyclists, peds and others – BE PREDICTABLE IN TRAFFIC!!!
To Liam, if you had of read my comment, I was parked at the intersection watching them all go through the red light. I do not dislike bicycle riders but share the road with them with glee, when they do the right thing. And yes motorist’s can be just as bad although you do not see this amount of driver’s in cars go through one set of red lights at one intersection over a 2 hour period.