BackWednesday, 28 October 2015
Cycling Regulations
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the relevant minister questions regarding South Australia’s new cycling regulations.
Leave granted.
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Dignity for Disability is broadly supportive of new measures to keep cyclists safer; however, we do have some concerns about how the new changes might affect people with disabilities, in particular. I recently had a very productive round table on the regulations, which was attended by representatives of the Blind Citizens Council, Guide Dogs SA representing people with both sight and hearing related disabilities, and a few individuals. There were also representatives from the office of the Minister for Transport and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.
The people present at the round table were concerned about how allowing additional categories of people to cycle on footpaths might affect those pedestrians who will not necessarily be able to see or hear cyclists approaching them, and it was agreed that there will be a need for more awareness for both cyclists and pedestrians about their rights and responsibilities and about how to be responsive to each other’s needs. We believe such a campaign is not only necessary for the safety of people with disabilities but also takes into account the fact that many pedestrians walking along footpaths may be distracted by headphones, mobile phones or other devices. So there is a need not to assume that everyone will see or hear a cyclist approaching.
We are aware, of course, that pedestrians always have right of way, but we are also concerned that some cyclists have behaved, and might continue to behave, selfishly on footpaths and shared pathways. I have also heard from wheelchair users who believe that it is unfair that people using powered mobility aids, such as electric wheelchairs and gophers, are restricted under law to travelling on footpaths at a maximum speed of 10 km/h while there is no current speed restriction on cyclists. My questions to the minister are:
1. Will the government run an awareness campaign across various media about the fact that not everyone will be able to see or hear a cyclist approaching along a footpath and therefore that there is a need for both cyclists and pedestrians to exercise caution?
2. Will the government ensure that the current education campaign, and any future campaigns, include measures to make them accessible, including audio descriptions for people who are blind or vision impaired and Auslan interpretation and captioning for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, since people with sensory impairments are particularly concerned?
3. Will the minister research the idea of imposing a speed limit on cyclists travelling on footpaths, as already exists for people using powered mobility aids?
4. In the states and territories—Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory—where cycling on footpaths for all people has been permitted for some years, are there higher rates of police complaints, injuries and deaths of pedestrians?
5. What government-funded programs are currently in place to ensure that people with disabilities can ride bikes for both recreation and fitness, particularly people with mobility disabilities, vision impairment, blindness or intellectual disability, given the barriers to participation that these groups can face?
6. In South Australia how many pedestrians have been catastrophically injured or killed by cyclists on footpaths, shared pathways or roads in the past 50 years?
7. In South Australia how many pedestrians have been catastrophically injured or killed by vehicles on footpaths, shared pathways or roads in the past 50 years?
8. In South Australia how many powered or manual wheelchair users or gopher users have been catastrophically injured or killed by cyclists on footpaths, shared pathways or roads in the past 50 years?
9. In South Australia how many powered or manual wheelchair users or gopher users have been catastrophically injured or killed by vehicles on footpaths, shared pathways or roads in that same time period?
10. In South Australia how many cyclists, in comparison, have been catastrophically injured or killed by vehicles on footpaths, shared pathways or roads in the past 50 years?
The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation): I will take those questions to the Minister for Transport in another place and bring back a reply. I know that the Minister for Transport, as many ministers do, appreciates your raising these issues and this week he was specifically talking about the constructive way you have raised many of these issues already with him. I am sure he will provide a reply as soon as he can.
