BY SORAYA PEREZ MOHAMMED
The City of Sydney has called on the State Government to back regulations that would improve the safety of cyclists on roads. One of the most hotly debated is a proposal to allow bicycles on footpaths.
Harold Scruby, Chairman and CEO of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, said the proposal is outrageous.
“That’s a joke. Footpaths are for human beings. They’re for pedestrians that’s why they’re called footpaths, they’re not called vehicle paths. Even though a bicycle is not a motor vehicle, it’s a vehicle,” he said.
“You can drive electric bicycles up to 200 watts on footpaths. But there’s no insurance and the penalties are pathetic,” Mr Scruby added.
He pointed out that besides being ridiculous, the proposal cannot be carried out because councils have no legislative power to change bicycle laws.
“This means nothing. Council has no legislative power, all they have is enforcement and, even then, councils cannot enforce the bicycle laws, only police. The Minister for Roads, the Minister for Transport, and the Premier [are] the only people who can make these changes,” he said.
Mr Scruby was adamant that cyclists should not receive more attention than pedestrians.
“When are they going to put pedestrians first, rather than cyclists? Pedestrians must come first. Cyclists are a protected species. The pedestrian death toll is going through the roof. When are they going to stop listening to this vociferous lobby of Bicycle New South Wales, which represents 2% of road users?” he said.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for BayBUG (Canada Bay Bicycle User Group), Colleen Hickey thinks this measure would encourage more cyclists, as safety would be improved.
“I think it would be great to allow cyclists on footpaths, as long as they cycle slowly. Sometimes when cycling, you may have to travel down a very busy road. For some small sections, it would be much safer to cycle carefully on the footpath and it would also inspires more cyclists,” she said.
Nonetheless, some cyclists also criticized the submission because they agreed it endangers the safety of pedestrians.
“This measure may benefit me; however I don’t agree to allow cyclists to ride bicycles on footpaths, because it could endanger the physical integrity of pedestrians. I don’t think it’s safe for them,” said Rafael Cayama.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s good for cyclists, but what about pedestrians?” said Ricardo Silva.
Under NSW legislation a bicycle is considered a vehicle and must follow the same road rules as other vehicles.
The submission has not yet been approved, and currently remains unpopular.
