Cycle Safely on the Road

For the last 12 years more bicycles have been sold each year than motor vehicles¹.  As a Nation we are taking to the parks, bicycle tracks, trails and roads to cycle. In 2010 over 1.3 million bicycles were sold, so whether it's for recreation, health, transport or training, 39.6% of Australian’s are riding bikes².   With the National Cycling Strategy 2011-2016 well on its way to reaching its aim to double the rate of cyclist by 2016 the need for road safety and awareness is paramount³.

Driver/rider safety and awareness campaigns are few and far between! Despite the long running and very successful Victorian “Look Left, Look Right, Look Bike” and efforts of the Amy Gillett Foundation promotional rides and “A metre matters” campaign, the relationship between drivers and riders is still extremely strained and nowhere need reaching the mutual respect and courtesy seen in European countries. 

So as cyclist (and most of us also as drivers) what can we do to build better relations between mutual road users and keep us hopefully a little safer as cyclists?

We can;

1. Respect road rules and signs.  Stop at red lights, give way at round-a-bouts; Stop at pedestrian crossings.
   
   
2. Use hand signals when ever safely possible allowing drivers and other road uses to see our intentions and keeping us safe.
   
   
3. Ensure your bike has bright visible lights both front and rear when riding in early mornings, evenings and especially at night.
   
   
4. Always wear a helmet; it’s not just a Law in Australia it is common sense! 
   
   
5. Choose routes with bicycles lanes, paths or routes with less traffic.
   
   
6. Look around you and know where traffic is.  When turning at intersections or preceding straight when drivers are turning, look at the drivers face and eyes, ensure they have seen you!
   
   
7. Never take unnecessary risks, it’s better to be cautions than be a statistic!

And......wear visible, light coloured clothing and reflective stripes on your body and bike!

1.        Cycling Promotion Fund. Media release: Bikes outsell cars by 2,000,000 (2011)

2.        Austroads: Australian Cycling Participation. National Cycling Participation Survey (2011).

3.        Austroads: Australian Bicycling Council: National Cycling Strategy 2011-2016. Gearing up for active and sustainable communities (2010).

 Ride Safe, Ride Often, and of course............Ride in Style................Team Bella Velo!