Tragedy refocuses debate on bike lanes

A recent tragedy in Surry Hills has refocused a long running debate on bike lanes in the city, with the issue likely to be an important one in the upcoming state election.

A 34-year-old male cyclist was killed at the corner of Elizabeth and Belvoir streets at Surry Hills after colliding with a bus a week ago.

It is understood the cyclist was travelling west on Belvoir street when he tried to stop suddenly and was thrown over his bike’s handlebars and into the path of the bus.

Organiser of the “Rally for Safe Cycling” event which will take place in March, Adam Butler, said the accident highlighted the need for drivers to be aware that cyclists “exist on the roads”, particularly as more people take up cycling.

“I used to cycle through there [the accident area]. It’s very steep and there isn’t a lot of visibility,” Mr Butler said.
He said state agencies had not kept their promise to make cycling safer on Sydney roads.

“The state government announced last year that they would spend $150 million on cycleways over the next ten years,” he said.

“Which sounds good but back in 1998 they said they would spend $260 million. It’s actually reducing.”

Mr Butler said the issue was too politicised and the current debate needed to be reframed.

“I’m trying to highlight that it’s not a car-versus-cycling issue but a safety issue,” he said.

Tanja Binggeli is a cyclist who works near the accident and commutes to work every day. She said she thought Sydney Council had done a great job in rolling out separate cycleways.

“I think they are doing good things with their cycleways,” she said.

“But it takes a while so drivers and cyclists need to be careful on the roads in the meantime.”

Last year, 13 cyclists died in accidents in NSW while two cyclists have already died this year in accidents, data from the NSW Centre for Road Safety showed.

A City of Sydney cycling spokesman David Woolbank was quoted earlier this year saying that the number of riders on Sydney’s roads is increasing by 40 per cent each year.
Last year Sydney was branded one of the world’s most hostile cities for cycling by a visiting academic.

John Pucher was on a sabbatical from Rutgers University in New Jersey, researching ways to boost the city’s bike riding levels.

“I did not cycle that often because I almost got killed several times,” he said.

‘’Whether I was a pedestrian or cyclist I found the level of the hostility of enough Sydney motorists worse than I had seen anywhere in the world.’’

For info on the “Rally for Safe Cycling” go to www.sydneycyclist.com