Content warning: Video shows footage of a real crash.
Many of our urban areas are built around large, traffic-carrying roads that cut through busy activity centres. These environments have significant challenges, especially when it comes to the safety of vulnerable road users like pedestrians (including skateboarders) and cyclists.
The core of this issue is understanding Movement and Place – ensuring that we can move people and goods efficiently while protecting the spaces where people live, work, and play. It’s a complex challenge, made more difficult by the fact that we’ve inherited a network not designed with safety priorities in mind.
While we work towards long-term, systemic solutions, we have to acknowledge that education, enforcement, and behaviour change efforts will continue to play a role. However, these are interim measures – they are not sustainable Safe System solutions. Relying solely on these approaches is not enough to achieve the safety outcomes we need.
Our responsibility: we must continue to push for vehicle and infrastructure changes that prioritise the safety of our most vulnerable road users. We need to reimagine our urban spaces to reduce conflict between high-speed traffic and active transport. The road to change is complex, but it’s all about a safer, more sustainable future.
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