Title

Getting Children Riding Again:Making Local Streets Safer for Cycling

Phil Gray – GTA Consultants 8 September 2016

Overview

The Need

• Decline in riding

• Increased obesity

• Car dependence

• Safety perceptions

Why?

• Active children

• Reduced congestion

• Connected communities

The Challenge

• Speed

• Safe routes

• Perceptions

• Priorities

Then

Riding to School Was Fun

Now

2015 Progress Report Card on Active Transport for Children and Young People | AHKA

The Road Less Travelled

Travel to School Facts

Source: www.bicyclenetwork.com.au

Stranger Danger

Group Description Characteristics

A Vulnerable to traffic Children, elderly, hearing impaired

B “Fair weather” riders Lacking confidence, average riding skill

C Active adultsMedium speeds, 'road aware’, good

riding skills

D Sports and fitnessHigh speed, prefers ‘main road’

environments

Who Uses Local Streets?

Rider Characteristics & Environment

Group Rider Characteristics Rider Environment

Primary School

Children

Cognitive skills not developed,

little knowledge of road rules,

requires supervision

Off-road path, footpath (where

permitted), or very low volume

residential street

Secondary

School Children

Skill varies, developing

confidence

Generally use on-road facilities or off-

road paths where available

Austroads 2014, Guide to traffic management: part 4: network management, AGTM04-14, Austroads, Sydney, NSW.

Local Street Elements

On-street parking

Raised side-

entry treatment

Lower

speed limitCyclists!

LATM

Kerb-outsands

Source: www.8-80cities.org/8-80-rule

Infrastructure – for ALL users

Source: Sydney’s Cycling Future, 2013

>75% feel safe

>75% feel unsafe

= feel safe &

unsafe

Source: NSW Bicycle Guidelines

• Vehicle speeds < 50km/h

• Parking one side

• Bikes share lanes equally with vehicles

• Narrow (2.7m) lanes discourage

overtaking

• Best when speeds equitable (e.g. ≤ 30

km/h)

Mixed Traffic

Mixed Traffic vs

Separation?

• Still current?

• Constrained environments

• Retrofit

• Equitable Speeds (30km/h)

• Education/legislation changes?

• Network improvements

• Priority/provision for riders at intersections

• Safe routes to schools

• Bicycle parking at both trip ends

What to Do?

Source: Austroads Research Report – Cycling on Higher Speed Roads (AP-R410-12), Figure 2.1, pg. 4 (Austroads, 2012)

% P

robabili

ty o

f F

ata

lity

30 50

speed management

Modified from Garrard, J, 2008

30 km/h / 20 mph Examples

Bicycle by-passes

LATM

Source: Streets for People Compendium

LATM Speed Profile

Rugby Street, South AustraliaSelf-enforcing speed reduction

• Radial better than tangential

• Equitable speed

• “Claim the lane”

• Shared lane markings

2 Refers to roundabout negotiation or maximum entry design speeds

Roundabouts

Rugby Street, South Australia

Filtered Permeability

Burchett Street, Brunswick

Contra-Flow

Nash Street, Brunswick

Nash Street, Brunswick

Tendency to overprotect

1m passing rule (<60km/h)

New Trial Laws

Source: Ellison and Gray, 2011

‘Car is the Guest’

New Treatments – Bicycle Boulevards

Shared Spaces/Naked Streets

Outside the square?

Intuitive road designs

Equitable speeds (≤30 km/h)

Direct, low volume routes

Innovative designs - bike priority

N u r t u r e a c u l t u r e o f r e s p e c t

Key Points

GTA consultants

Melbourne

Sydney

Brisbane

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Phil Gray

Associate

Phil.Gray@gta.com.au

@VeloGray

gta.com.au

Adelaide

Gold Coast

Townsville

Perth

Complete transportation specialists