We need more people walking and cycling in order to address climate concerns, improve health, reduce household expenditure and strengthen our communities. But road safety is a major concern. Governments can and should do much more to make walking and cycling safe.

In 2023, the Victorian Parliament held an “Inquiry into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users”. The final report was tabled on May 1, 2024 and can be found here. The Inquiry received about 300 submissions, indicating a high level of community interest. And there were so many groups and individuals from Merri-bek participating that the Inquiry held a full day of hearings in Coburg Town Hall.

Local groups that participated included Climate Action Merri-bek, Sustainable Fawkner, Walk on Merri-bek, Merri-bek Bicycle Users Group, Brunswick Residents Network, Coburg High School Walking and Riding Sub-Committee, Safer Walking and Riding for Murray Road and Safe Access over Bell Street for Everyone. There was also a group of local parents participating. These Merri-bek groups and residents were cited frequently throughout the report, and many of their quotes were used as case studies. You can find CAM’s submission here along with links to submissions by other local groups.

We can safely conclude that Merri-bek has cemented its status as the leading municipality for safe walking and cycling activism!

The report of 278 pages is full of useful facts and figures, and is a useful reference for those interested in promoting sustainable transport. The inquiry made 61 findings, and 56 recommendations. The government has six months to respond to the report.

Here we summarise the main points that relate to safer walking and cycling.

Road user hierarchy to prioritise those most at risk

The Inquiry noted the perception by many in the community that pedestrians and cyclists need to protect themselves. However, in other countries, “drivers have a high duty of care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or cyclist”. The committee found that “Traditional road culture and design in Victoria has prioritised the convenience of drivers and motorised vehicles over vulnerable road users, placing the latter at greater risk,” and recommended that the government develop a road user hierarchy system, presumably with the highest priority given to people walking, followed by those cycling.

Safety for people walking

The Inquiry noted that in Metropolitan Melbourne, one in four road deaths is a pedestrian. (Indeed in Merri-bek, the majority of road deaths are pedestrians). As one submitter noted, for people walking, “their safety largely depends on drivers noticing them, abiding by road rules, giving way to them when turning, and stopping for them at intersections and crossings, while motorists are often concentrating on other motor vehicles instead”.

Most pedestrian trauma occurs on state government roads, which typically have a speed limit of 60 km/h or more. Sometimes at locations where people have been killed, the state government may consider a pedestrian crossing. But as the Inquiry noted, people avoid crossing at these locations because they are unsafe! Submitters suggested ways that these dangerous spots could be identified and fixed without requiring someone to be killed. The Inquiry recommended that: “The Transport Accident Commission investigate opportunities for vulnerable road users to self‑report minor crashes or near‑miss incidents.”

Councils can and do provide safe walking infrastructure on Council roads, but they often rely on state government funding. Merri-bek Council highlighted that the state government does not provide a reliable revenue stream to Councils. The Inquiry found that Councils needed more flexible criteria to be eligible for road safety grants. This is a positive step – but it must be accompanied by a bigger budget.

Signalised pedestrian crossings are problematic

Many signalised pedestrian crossings do not give enough time to cross the road. Many crossings take several minutes for the signals to respond, which encourages people to run across the road. The spacing between pedestrian crossings is often too great. As a submitter noted, these issues show a lack of respect for pedestrians’ time. “Governments talk about people being able to move around safely and efficiently, but that is not for pedestrians. If we want to be safe, we cannot be efficient. Our journey takes much longer. Our time is not valued.”

At intersections, there is also a conflict between people crossing and drivers turning: drivers are permitted to turn when pedestrians have the green light. (Note that this conflict has been highlighted by cyclists, following the tragic death of Angus Collins in Footscray last year.) But the conflict occurs at most intersections. A suggestion was for vehicles to have a red turn arrow when people are crossing.

To improve pedestrian crossing safety, the inquiry made three recommendations to the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP):

• seek feedback from councils and the community on the locations of signalised crossings that give pedestrians too little time to safely cross, and program crossing times at these spots to ensure pedestrians of all abilities have enough time to cross safely.
• review intersections commonly used by vulnerable road users and assess if treatments such as timed pedestrian protection would benefit.
• review arterial roads to ensure there are regular pedestrian crossings linked to public transport stops, activity centres and schools.

Safer Cycling

The Inquiry noted that safety concerns were a key barrier to bike riding. Indeed, one in very four serious crashes in Australia involves a bike rider.

A big problem that was noted is that too many drivers regard people riding bikes as having less right to the road. Some submitters called for campaigns to humanise bike riders. Others noted that the failure to provide safe infrastructure suggests that governments do not regard cycling as a legitimate form of transport. If cycling was safe, more people would cycle, and others would tend to identify more with them.

Some submissions emphasised the importance of protected bike lanes, which encouraged more people to ride, especially women. There was little support from submitters for the common practice of using painted bike lanes.

The Inquiry’s recommendations were centred around better education to humanise bike riders and normalise their presence, and improve driver education on sharing the road safely with bike riders. In regard to the need for protected bike lanes, the Inquiry recommended the DTP “continue to promote the installation of protected bike lanes in inner and middle Melbourne”.

Strategic Cycling Corridors were seen as crucial in encouraging more people to cycle to work, education etc. The Inquiry acknowledged that work on developing the network had been slow and recommended that the DTP:

• prioritise the development of the Strategic Cycling Corridor network in metropolitan and regional Victoria,
• work with councils to map existing and approved cycling infrastructure across Victoria in order to identify opportunities to link and connect cycling infrastructure projects.

The Inquiry found that there had been no action plans for the Victorian Cycling Strategy for ten years. They recommended that the DTP “update the community on progress on the Victorian Cycling Strategy 2019–2028.”

Separate walking and cycling infrastructure

Submitters emphasised that people walking and cycling need separate safe infrastructure, not shared paths. Older people in particular are concerned when others are riding a bike or e-scooter on the footpath. Having to concentrate on their own safety increasing the risk of falling, and the fear of falling can deter older people from walking, which in turn has negative impacts on their health, mobility and social connections.

As a submitter noted the road space is constrained, and so providing safe separate infrastructure for people walking and cycling requires that some space be taken from motorists . We know that such reallocation of road space will lead to tensions (particularly if it entails a loss of vehicle parking spaces). The Inquiry made a finding that “Shared walking and cycling paths pose a risk to pedestrian safety”. But, it did not make a recommendation on how road space can be more fairly allocated.

Public transport

The committee noted that more people would use public transport if it was better connected and accessible, with more frequent services, and recommended the government make it a more attractive option.

Tram stops came in for a special mention. Of course, tram stops need to be made accessible for people with a disability. But accessible tram stops also improve safety for tram users. The report noted many concerns about drivers not stopping when passengers are trying to board and alight a tram. Safety could be improved with accessible tram stops. The report noted: “A 2016 study of the impact of raised platforms at Melbourne tram stops on pedestrian safety found an 81% reduction in crashes involving pedestrians and an 86% reduction in crashes resulting in fatal or serious injury for pedestrians.”

The inquiry recommended that the DTP:

• prioritise the delivery of accessible tram stops
• develop and implement mechanisms to detect, penalise and deter motorists driving past stopped trams when passengers are boarding and alighting.

Speed limits

There has been a lot of interest in making local roads 30 km/h, as is the case in many cities around the world. Currently it is very difficult for Councils to introduce 30km/h. The process is long and arduous. There is no capacity within Victorian’s speed zoning policy for 30 km/h, so Councils can only get permission for a trial. The Inquiry recommended that the DTP “revise its Speed Zoning Policy to streamline changes to speed limits on a case‑by‑case basis”.

This is an improvement, but we found its disappointing that this was qualified with the words “case-by-case basis”. However, if this recommendation is implemented, Merri-bek and other Councils will probably pursue a 30 km/h speed limit for some streets. This may help to create momentum for further change.

Another problem is that many arterial roads have a 60 km/h speed limit. Many have shopping strips, and carry trams and buses. Currently there needs to be 400 metres of shops to qualify for the 40 km/h shopping strip speed limit. The Inquiry heard from parents who wanted 40 km/h around schools at all times, as in done in Canberra, not just at the beginning and end of the school day.

Concerns were also raised about rat-running in residents streets. The Inquiry recommended the DTP “review the Speed Zoning Technical Guidelines with a view to minimising suburban rat running and reducing speed limits around school precincts and on arterial roads with activity centres.”

Education and Enforcement

Many drivers don‘t have a good understanding of their responsibility towards pedestrians and cyclists. There needs to be opportunities for existing drivers to refresh and improve their knowledge. This could be done during licence or registration renewals. The Inquiry recommended that the DTP look at ways of including an online education module on vulnerable road users and relevant road rule changes.

The Inquiry concluded that authorities should not just rely on trying to change driver behaviour with education. It concluded that “Road safety campaigns work best when used with multiple concurrent measures such as education, legislation and enforcement.”

Some submitters wanted stronger enforcement of the road rules, and greater penalties. Indeed, the report noted that “Road safety experts believe that road users are more likely to change their behaviour from a fear of receiving a penalty rather than a fear of a collision”.

Many road rules are difficult to enforce, because they occur often and everywhere – for example, giving way to pedestrians when turning, and giving sufficient space for cyclists.

Many submitters wanted a greater police presence on our roads, but of course, police resources are stretched. Road safety cameras are another means of enforcement. They were found to be effective, though apparently two-thirds of Victorians were not convinced, regarding them as revenue raisers. Mobile Phone and Seatbelt Detection Camera technology were also found to be effective.

The recommendations regarding this were rather weak. For example the inquiry wanted Variable Message Sign boards in high‑risk locations to increase compliance with road rules and remind drivers to check their behaviour. It also recommended: “The Victorian Government develop an awareness campaign on the avenues available to report dangerous driving incidents” (in particular, Crime Stoppers).

Under-reporting of pedestrian and cyclist injuries

Due to inadequate data collection, many pedestrian and cycling injuries do not appear in crash data statistics. The Inquiry recommended that the TAC investigate opportunities for vulnerable road users to self‑report minor crashes or near‑miss incidents. Note that Merri-bek already do this for minor crashes, but not for near misses.

Safety of Older People

About one third of people killed while walking are aged over 70. This is in part because they tend to be frailer, and less able to run to avoid a motorist driving dangerously. Many older people walk to carry out essential tasks and to stay healthy. So safe walking is vital for them. Most are risk adverse, so are unlikely to be at fault when they are hit by a motor vehicle.

The Inquiry didn’t’ make any specific recommendations regarding safer walking for older people. It just noted that Victoria could do better.

Safety of Children

Nowadays most children are driven to school. The main reason is that parents are concerned about traffic safety. Yet, parents driving their kids to school make the surrounding area less safe for other kids walking and cycling to school.

Most parents of primary schoolchildren want to “keep their children safe around schools such as drop‑off zones within walking distance of schools, wider footpaths, additional pedestrian crossing around schools and separated bike lanes”.

Coburg High School was recognised as a leading school in promoting sustainable transport, with three quarters of its students walking, riding and using public transport to reach school. Part of the reason was the nearby separated cycling infrastructure.

The Inquiry recommended that “The Victorian Government work with councils to improve traffic calming measures around school precincts to encourage more parents to allow their children to walk or ride to school.”

People with disabilities

People who are vision impaired often rely on hearing motor vehicles in order to cross safely. Quieter electric motor vehicles and e-scooters pose a risk. Those relying on wheelchairs need good footpaths. Good signage is also important for people with disabilities, and the Inquiry recommended this be improved. Public transport accessibility is also vital.

Conclusion

Getting people out of their cars, and walking, cycling and using public transport is not just a “nice to have”. It is vital in addressing the way our cities operate. We are becoming increasingly space constrained, and so we need space efficient ways of getting around. The world is facing a climate and environment crisis. People’s physical activity levels are dropping. Our social links are weakening. Household budgets are being increasingly stretched by the cost of running motor vehicles. Addressing road safety concerns is one way that we can help change the way that people move around. We look forward to seeing how the government responds to this report.