AGF submission to National Joint Select Committee’s Inquiry into Road Safety
The Amy Gillett Foundation has developed a strong and articulate submission to the national Joint Select Committee’s inquiry into road safety.
With input from fellow Australian cycling advocacy organisations AusCycling, WeRide Australia, WestCycle, Bicycle NSW, Pedal Power ACT, Bicycle Queensland and BikeSA, our joint submission calls for urgent action on road safety that will save the lives of people riding bikes on Australian roads.
Road safety is an extremely important subject, impacting all people irrespective of the type of transport they use. Although Australia’s road safety track record over the past few decades has been positive with innovation and bold policy from the Federal Government, in recent years this progress has diminished, especially when it comes to keeping cyclists safe. Cyclists are the only road user group to have consistently seen an increase in yearly deaths since the baseline was established in 2008. Disturbingly, cyclist deaths have increased by over 45% and serious injuries have increased by over 36% over the past decade.
The need for action is clear. Achieving Vision Zero depends on it, and our submission highlights the opportunities that the Federal Government can seize in order to make meaningful progress towards this goal.
We appreciate that action on road safety often falls to State/Territory and Local authorities, however we strongly believe the Federal Government can play a much greater role in leading, funding and enabling best practice. We know this is effective in many other countries around the world, and we are calling on this Joint Select Committee to be bold in their leadership on these issues in Australia.
Our recommendations:
- Invest in infrastructure that makes people riding bikes safe.
- Lead on national pro-cycling policy
- Promote best practice enforcement of minimum passing distance laws.
- Coordinate road safety data collection protocols across Australia.
- Explore the potential of cycling through the Movement and Place Framework.
- Recognise cycling as a crucial contributor to our physical, mental and social wellbeing.
- Encourage a more progressive approach by state and territory governments to speed limit reduction.
- Strive for global best practice in the uptake of modern, safe vehicles that reduce the likelihood and impact of crashes.
- Ensure government policymakers are actively involved in learning about road safety issues and opportunities.
- Ensure a whole-of-government approach to the management of road safety grant schemes.
- Enable Infrastructure Australia to fast track the delivery of bicycle infrastructure around Australia.
- Ensure all City Deals incorporate a strong focus on improving bicycle infrastructure.
- Support and facilitate the national rollout of the Sharing Roads Safely program to ensure Australian heavy vehicle drivers are the safest in the world.
- Introduce a national program to support the booming number of delivery riders in busy main streets across Australia.
Along with our partners, we are happy to discuss our recommendations with the Joint Select Committee and any other agencies working on road safety initiatives across Australia. We look forward to the outcomes of this inquiry and truly hope that we see action as soon as possible.
All inquiries; info@amygillett.org.au
