The Courier Mail has today reported that “cyclists claim they are worse off under 1m passing law”. It’s an interesting suggestion. The newspaper argues the weight of infringements issued against bike riders (1344) as opposed to those issued against motorists (4) shows the trial is failing. There is no mention of how many motorists have been issued infringements for “various traffic offences including speeding and ignoring stop signs” so the comparison is useless. Frankly, the paper has missed what the trial is seeking. Under the minimum overtaking distance trial, a bike rider can’t be fined. It’s a legislative trial that targets motorists and seeks to bring about behavioural change in the way they interact with and pass bike riders when on the road. Queensland Police Service’s Shane Panaho comments that “the feedback I’m getting generally from police, is that most motorists are trying to be patient and compliant with the new legislation.” We know first-hand of riders who have recorded close passes, within the almost 3 months of the trial, and are frustrated by the lack of action taken. We and others are helping pursue these, however, anecdotally, the feedback we’ve been receiving is a noticeable change in attitudes on the road – exactly what the trial seeks to bring about. Bicycle Queensland’s Ben Wilson said the new laws were yet to make a difference to the behaviour of many road users – “we’ve got no doubt some motorists are taking a lot more care but some are taking even less care,” he said. “It all needs to be evaluated.” We agree. CARRS-Q is developing an evaluation process, and we strongly believe it should be conducted as a priority so that we can start seeing informed comments in the media based on evidence and research rather than anecdotes comparing apples with lemons. couriermail.au/news/queensland/cyclists-claim-they-are-worse-off-under-1-metre-passing-law/story-fnihsrf2-1226976967358
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 02:07:19 +0000
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