VOTE BIKE!
01/11/2013
Published in The Adelaide Advertiser, page 14
THE STATE ELECTION IS FAST APPROACHING, SO BIKE SA ASKED MPS FOR THEIR PARTY’S POSITION ON CYCLING JAY WEATHERILL PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA How will you stimulate growth in walking and riding to school? When I was young, a lot of children road bikes to school and I think it’s a shame that children aren’t riding to school as much anymore. Encouraging walking and cycling to create a more vibrant and healthy state is a key element of the State Government’s recently announced Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan for the next 30 years. Under this blueprint for our State’s transport future will ensure that developments cater for cyclists and link communities to the growing network of cycling and walking routes. The Way2Go program will continue to work with local councils and school communities to improve infrastructure and create school travel environments that encourage safer travel. How will you upgrade infrastructure on proven metro bicycle corridors both on-road and along the off-road Greenway network? The State Government has more than doubled the total length of bike paths and lanes over the past 12 years, by investing more than $27 million on cycling infrastructure. Our paths now connect the River Torrens Linear Park to Coast Park as part of a network of attractive cycling and walking trails that connect the city with the sea and Hills. The Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan outlines a strategy to continue investing in cycling infrastructure and build on the progress we have made. How will you reduce speed limits in appropriate areas to encourage more people to ride? Lower speeds provide more attractive and comfortable neighbourhoods for cyclists and pedestrians. The SA Road Safety Strategy includes a priority of Safer Speeds, which features a number of actions to lower speeds and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists. This includes raised zebra crossings and intersection platforms, which are designed to slow down traffic. We are continuing to work with councils and communities to make sure traffic speeds are appropriate, particularly in residential areas where there is a mix of road users, from children to the elderly. How will you develop regional infrastructure for local community recreation and to build tourism destinations? Local councils can apply for grant funding assistance from the State Government to construct or upgrade tourism and recreation trails, recreation and sporting facilities, parks and paths. Much of the State Government’s investment in grassroots community sport and recreation will continue to be in regional areas, through the Active Club Program and Community Recreation and Sport Facility Program. Other projects such as the $16 million Port Augusta Central Oval redevelopment are helping to reinvigorate regional centres and provide future generations with sporting and recreation opportunities. The State Government is investing considerable resources into marketing regional South Australia, both in Australia and overseas, including the recent Barossa. Be Consumed advertisement, which has won international acclaim. How will you leverage Commonwealth projects to lift the level of cycling? The State Government is ensuring that cycling and walking infrastructure is provided in all urban transport upgrades. With Commonwealth assistance, the bikeway along the Northern Expressway was constructed and the Goodwood Junction section of Marino Rocks BIKE Greenway path in FAST Forestville will open AUSTRALIA in coming months. 2% OF TRIP The proposal for the KIDS C South Road TorrensTO SC Torrens upgrade includes separated bike lanes on the South Road service road, an overpass for the Outer Harbor Greenway, plus a shared-use path along the length of project to link to the River Torrens Linear Park and other open space. How will you foster better road user behaviour? The State Government will continue to build community understanding of road safety for cyclists through awareness and education programs. These programs include a focus on educating the public about the hazards faced by vulnerable road users such as cyclists and encourage mutual respect among all road users. The aim of this is to lower the incidence of vehicles driving too close to or cutting in front of cyclists and motorcyclists. Shared lane markings also known as sharrows are being used for the first time in South Australia, on a trial basis [see p6 for more on sharrows]. STEVEN MARSHALL STATE LIBERAL LEADER How will you stimulate growth in walking and riding to school? Events such as Ride2Work Day and Walk Safely to School Day are fantastic initiatives that not only promote walking or riding to work and school, but are also important in educating drivers, cyclists and walkers to be aware of one another on the road. How will you upgrade infrastructure on proven metro bicycle corridors both on-road and along the off-road Greenway network? My local council has investigated the option of “bicycle boulevards” used in Oregon and California, SA which are shared ACT commuter zones on EES ONLY smaller roads that MADE BY run parallel to main LING thoroughfares. This OOL method can help protect bike commuters as well as encourage the uptake of cycling. How will you reduce speed limits in appropriate areas to encourage more people to ride? Improving roads and infrastructure is only part of the solution of encouraging more people to ride. There are many other ways we can encourage more people to ride, other than reducing speed limits. Educating all commuters also plays an important role, especially when enforcing safety messages. How will you develop regional infrastructure for local community recreation and to build tourism destinations? We can’t develop cycling infrastructure in isolation from other levels of government or other forms of transport. We need to work together with all interested parties and stakeholders, including councils, State Government, Federal Government, businesses and cycling bodies, to come up with the best solution for local communities. How will you leverage Commonwealth projects to lift the level of cycling? By working with all three levels of government we can ensure that cycling is considered in the development of all infrastructure projects. How will you foster better road user behaviour? I think we have to appreciate the differing needs of all commuters for a start. Only then can we effectively educate all road users and foster a mutual understanding and respect between all commuters. KELLY VINCENT DIGNITY FOR DISABILITY MEMBER How will you stimulate growth in walking and riding to school? Dignity for Disability believes there should be signficant investment in supporting children and young people to safely walk, cycle or use their wheelchair to safely get to school. To do this, accessible footpaths on local school routes need to be installed with appropriate safety features. Education of parents and school communities are needed to support this initiative so they appreciate the physical and mental health gains for young people, the environmental benefits and the economic advantages for the family. Subsidies for Australian Safety Standard-approved bikes and helmets could be considered to promote cycling and, consequently, healthier communities. How will you upgrade infrastructure on proven metro bicycle corridors both on-road and along the off-road greenway network? Dignity for Disability strongly supports infrastructure upgrades for both on-road and off-road Greenway networks. On-road, this includes improving road surfaces and widening bike lanes, and ensuring that bike lanes don’t disappear at traffic lights and intersections. On road, additional bike boxes, bike buttons and bike parking facilities are needed, as are traffic light programming that favours cyclists and pedestrians. Offroad Greenway networks must be adequately maintained and provide room for both pedestrians and cyclists to travel safely in the shared space. How will you reduce speed limits in appropriate areas to encourage more people to ride? Dignity for Disability supports the push to reduce the Adelaide CBD speed limit to 40km/h to facilitate an increase in cycling numbers cyclists are safer with motorists and buses speed limited. How will you develop regional infrastructure for local community recreation and to build tourism destinations? We believe cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in regional towns and cities helps to keep local communities healthy and provides fantastic tourism opportunities. Supporting initiatives and providing funding to develop concepts such as rail trails, touring cycling events and cycling paths that incorporate local attractions such as wineries, beaches and historical sites is essential. How will you leverage Commonwealth projects to lift the level of cycling? Infrastruture projects, such as South Road, should be used as an opportunity to ensure bike paths, safe pedestrian crossings, bike buttons and other initiatives that facilitate safe cycling are implemented. How will you foster better road user behaviour? Dignity for Disability supports the Amy Gillett Foundation’s campaign to legislate to ensure other road users give cyclists a metre. Learner and probationary drivers should be made aware of road rules and laws in relation to cyclists and pedestrians, and supplementary licensing for bus, motorbike and truck drivers should include advanced instruction about cyclists and pedestrians (including those using mobility aids such as wheelchairs and gophers). Ongoing community education is needed to better inform all road users about the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, and the right of all to navigate a safe passage on our roads, bikeways and footpaths. MARK PARNELL PARLIAMENTARY LEADER, GREENS SA How will you stimulate growth in walking and riding to school? Encouraging more kids to ride to school requires convincing their parents that it is safe. That will require a range of initiatives including identification of safe cycle routes to school and support from parents who are prepared to ride with kids. On a bike, there is safety in numbers, so organising meeting places and having groups of kids riding to school together can be a fun way of encouraging more kids to ride. We must also make sure that cycle and road education reaches every child in every primary school. How will you upgrade infrastructure on proven metro bicycle corridors both on-road and along the off-road Greenway network? Every year, bicycles outsell cars. To encourage people to use their bikes requires safe bicycle routes both on-road and off-road. Cyclists come with different levels of experience and ability, so it’s important to have a range of choices that includes main roads, back streets and where possible, off-road cycle paths. We also need a cycle network that caters for long-distance commuters, short-distance trips and also people out riding just for fun or exercise. Whilst separating cars from bikes makes sense, it is important not to relegate bikes to inconvenient and indirect routes. All of the destinations that a cyclist might want to reach are on the road network, therefore the whole of the road network needs to be safe for cycling. How will you reduce speed limits in appropriate areas to encourage more people to ride? As vulnerable road users, cyclists benefit from lower speed limits. A collision at 40km/h is far less likely to result in death or serious injury than a collision at higher speeds. Lower speed limits in residential streets would not only make streets safer for cyclists, but also for pedestrians and kids out playing in their neighbourhoods, just like we did as kids. How will you develop regional infrastructure for local community recreation and to build tourism destinations? Cycle tourist routes in regional areas have proven to be a huge boon. Disused railway lines are popular because they have gentle gradients and often pass through magnificent scenery and fascinating country towns. The Riesling Trail is a great example. Attracting cyclists to regional areas is great for accommodation providers, pubs and cafes. Cycling is thirsty and hungry work! How will you leverage Commonwealth projects to lift the level of cycling? When it comes to bang for buck, spending money on cycling infrastructure provides huge benefits that far outweigh spending on freeways. When you add in the health benefits of cycling, it’s hard to understand why cycling infrastructure is such a poor cousin to roads. Cycle facilities take up less space, they cost less and actually reduce congestion in peak hours on the roads because more people riding to work means fewer people driving. The Commonwealth should lead by ensuring that all road and public transport projects include provision for cycling. How will you foster better road user behaviour? Education is a two-way street. Drivers need to learn to look out for bikes and to accept that cyclists are legitimate road users whose trips are just as important as those of motorists. Cyclists on the other hand need to learn to ride defensively, accept that they can be harder to see and make sure they obey traffic laws. There’s nothing that annoys motorists more than cyclists breaking the law. DENNIS HOOD & ROB BROKENSHIRE FAMILY FIRST MEMBERS How will you stimulate growth in walking and riding to school? It is sad that Australia has changed so much that kids who once walked or rode to school now don’t because families do not feel it is safe to let them do so. A Motor Accident Commission comprehensive road safety campaign is needed to encourage drivers, particularly before and after school hours, to be on the lookout for young cyclists and pedestrians. Councils need to audit and identify child crossings towards school and not only signpost but also mark with zebra crossings regular student pedestrian pathways to school. How will you upgrade infrastructure on proven metro bicycle corridors both on-road and along the off-road Greenway network? New road projects must include capacity for a separate cyclist pathway or continuation of any interlinking bicycle corridors. The new Northern Expressway and the Southern Expressway are standouts for how to provide for bikeways in road infrastructure projects. Family First wants existing rail corridors to be audited to determine whether there is room for a bikeways. We believe that the Torrens shared pedestrian / cyclist path is in dire need of repair and widening, with dedicated cycling lanes added on one side. On-road black spots for cyclists need to be addressed, including places where a bicycle lane ceases due to a stobie pole or intersection treatment. Family First calls on the Government to investigate the merits of trains and trams having spaces allocated for bicycles to be placed, free of charge. Near-urban roads need re-shouldering so there is a wide and smooth enough shoulder so cyclists need to drive less often in the same carriageway as motorists. How will you reduce speed limits in appropriate areas to encourage more people to ride? Family First prefers off-road Greenway improvements rather than reducing speed limits, however if a reduction in a speed limit has broader evidence-based community benefit for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike, Family First would support that initiative. How will you develop regional infrastructure for local community recreation and to build tourism destinations? The Clare Valley bicycle trail has lead the way in using cycling for tourism promotion. Areas such as the Riverland can benefit from developing bicycle trails also. We can learn from cities such as Kyoto that have very wide footpaths so tourist sites can be easily visited on bicycles. Hot-spots for tourist arrivals like major accommodation sites need publicly owned bicycles, bike-racks and easy-to-access guides (including smartphone Apps or even devices built into the bicycles) to show how to cycle to major tourist sites in the area. How will you leverage Commonwealth projects to lift the level of cycling? If we are not getting the funding, it is because we have not already leveraged our infrastructure planning to be compliant with the requirements to set up cycling corridors. How will you foster better road user behaviour? This is the most important short-term reform for improving bicycle use. As mentioned above on child safety going into schools, Family First calls for a broader companion MAC-funded campaign on cyclist awareness that will help cyclists feel safer and motorists understand the rights of cyclists on roads. We do not want `hell rides’, or `road rage’. Family First prefers a strong advertising and prevention campaign push before needing to look at changing laws around the interaction between cyclists and cars.
