Our roads are getting safer… unless you’re a Vulnerable Road User (VRU).
Once again we’ve seen a year where a horrific number of people were killed on Victorian roads. 240 members of our community had their lives cut short, their families shattered, their community devastated and all because our system isn’t safe.
VRUs (pedestrian, cyclists and motorcyclists) are the least protected in crashes. Of the 240 people killed 83 were VRUs, but cars did the killing in over 90% of cases (with the others being motorcycle single vehicle crashes). Car drivers and passengers are getting safer, but those on foot or on bikes are increasing in numbers at staggering percentages.
Our pledge for 2023, for our most vulnerable road users:
Through engineering design, auditing, assessments and industry capacity strengthening, we will:
◾ Build more raised crossings for pedestrians and cyclists
◾ Create more separated walking and cycling facilities
◾ Lower vehicle speeds via traffic calming and speed limit reductions
◾ Create motorcycle friendly road infrastructure (underrun protection, motorcycle friendly sign poles, fully controlled right turns, better delineation, speed management)
◾ Close unneeded access for vehicles
◾ Prioritize active transport road users in policy, planning and engineering decisions
◾ Build protected signalised intersections and roundabouts for cyclists and pedestrians
◾ Raise signalised intersections to lessen the likelihood and severity of crashes involving all road users