Article: Who's to blame for cycle crashes? Prepare to be surprised

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Who's to blame for cycle crashes? Prepare to be surprised

Who's to blame for cycle crashes? Prepare to be surprised
Sean Baumgart
July 27, 2011

Cyclists and drivers are almost equally to blame for accidents involving bicycles on Queensland roads, according to Department of Transport and Main Roads figures.

The department's figures reveal that of the 4149 accidents involving cyclists on Queensland roads in the five years to 2008 (the most recent figures available), 2222 - or 54 per cent - involved cyclists that were "at fault".

The issue of rider safety rose again this week after a woman was hit by a car while riding near Ipswich on Sunday. She remains in hospital.

There is no suggestion the rider, an experienced cyclist who taught safety at the Ipswich Cycling Club, was at fault.

However, despite bike traffic increasing on Brisbane's streets and bikeways, there has been no recent surge in the number of accidents involving cyclists.

In the first six months of this year, three cyclists died in accidents in Queensland. Since 2004, there have been an average of 7.9 fatalities per year. The worst year was 2007 with 10 cyclist deaths while in 2005 there were only five.

With more commuters turning to two-wheeled transport, both cycling and motoring bodies agree that more bikeways would ease the pressure on Brisbane's roads.

The existing bikeways are growing in popularity with more than 10,000 trips a day taken on Brisbane's inner-city bikeways, up from 9,500 in 2009, according to Brisbane City Council.

Bicycle Queensland development officer Andrew Demack said bikeways had proven effective in luring commuters from other modes of transport.

"There's certainly measurable growth in the use of bikeways," he said.

He said the percentage of commuters cycling to the city from the west and south, where there is infrastructure including the Bicentennial Bikeway, Centenary Motorway Bikeway and Pacific Motorway Bikeway, was higher than that in the north.

"In those areas where the facilities have been provided, the share is up to about five per cent for cycling, whereas the northside, where there aren't good off-road ways to get into the city, the share remains at about two per cent," he said.

RACQ spokesman Paul Turner said more bikeways throughout the city would help reduce the number of collisions between cyclists and cars.

And he called on drivers and cyclists to work together to bring the toll down.

"The basic fact is, we have to share the road," he said.

"It is important that cyclists respect road rules and that motorists understand that we do have to share the road and be alert to cyclists on the road. Cyclists are very fragile and nobody wants a collision.

"In the long term more bike paths are an answer and that's why we support more bike paths to give cyclists dedicated routes."

One cyclist who has seen enough carnage on Brisbane roads is competitive rider Daniel Brickell, who has completed up to 25 hours and 700 kilometres a week in training on Brisbane roads over the past 10 years.

Mr Brickell said the mix of a growing cycling community and impatient drivers often resulted in riders coming off second best.

"It's definitely getting busier," he said. "There's more riders on the road, but it seems to be that the drivers who aren't riders are even more impatient.

"Most of them are good, but it's just the freak ones out there that just want to kill you and they think it's funny. They don't realise that they get a ding on their car and we get broken bones or death.

"I've had glass bottles [thrown at me,] all sorts of stuff."

However, he conceded riders were just as capable as drivers of flouting the law.

"There are a lot of bike riders out there that ride in the middle of the road and wander all over the place, and I understand why drivers go crazy because there are some cyclists that have no idea," he said.

"Most drivers don't differentiate [between responsible drivers and law-breakers]."

The 61-year-old woman hit at Ipswich on Sunday was the third member of the Ipswich Cycling Club involved in a serious accident this year.

Last month Malcolm Kamp, 52, was killed on the Warrego Hwy, while Carly Hibberd, 26, was killed in a training accident in Italy in early July.

President Craig Mendoza said it had made for a difficult year for the club.

"The poor lady in hospital, as far as I know she's fighting for her life and she was a real advocate for cycling safety," he said.

"In my opinion both cyclists and cars need to be more aware of each other.

"Because the population is increasing there's obviously more cars on the road and a greater need for us to get bikes off the road."

A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman said the city's bikeways were growing in popularity.

"The Bicentennial Bikeway and Go Between Bridge recorded around 3500 trips a day (last year), while the Goodwill Bridge (2400 trips a day), Victoria Park and Roma Street Parklands (1000 trips a day) and New Farm and Story Bridge (1700 trips a day) were also popular among cyclists and pedestrians," she said.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/whos-to-blame-for-cycle-crashes-prepare-to-be-surprised-20110726-1hydb.html

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Young, old cyclists top crash blame

[Jonno]

Meanwhile across Australia the road toll just keeps racking up the casualties.