The Sydney Morning Herald reports that cyclists are calling for more cycleways amid an increase in cycling related injuries across Sydney. Safety concerns are believed to be responsible for decreasing numbers of children and female cyclists. There’s conflict in the comments to the article, with commenters criticizing cycling behaviour and attitudes. There is a separate Facebook comment thread here.
The Herald Sun reports of a “radical council plan to drive cars out of Melbourne CBD”. It reports that Melbourne City Council’s proposed transport plan would prioritise pedestrians and cyclists in the CBD, build more cycleways, and reduce the speed limit for motorists to 40 km per hour. Comments in the Facebook thread are conflicted, and contain various opinions on the proposal. The Age frames the story a bit differently, focusing on the expansion of the 40 km per hour speed zones across inner city suburbs. Facebook comments on The Age story are here.
An off-duty paramedic participating in a charity bike ride was knocked off his bike and assaulted by a gang of teenagers near Shellharbour. The incident was reported by a number of news outlets, including the Illawarra Mercury, News.com.au, and The Daily Telegraph. The Facebook comment threads (see also here) are sympathetic.
The Sydney Morning Herald takes a look inside the ‘helter skelter’ world of food delivery drivers. There’s plenty of anti-cyclist sentiment in the Facebook comments, with many users commenting on the riders’ apparent lack of road sense and dangerous cycling practices.
7 News and the Bendigo Advertiser report that a van driver has been jailed for hitting and killing a cyclist in regional Victoria.
A woman badly injured after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle in Melbourne’s South East pleads for greater attention to cyclist road safety, reports the Herald Sun.
The Geelong Advertiser reports that a driver was disqualified from driving after road rage threats against cyclist.
Victoria’s 2018 road toll has already been reached after a motor vehicle accident killed an elderly couple, and a male cyclist was killed by a car in Geelong. Comments in The Age’s Facebook thread debate the causes of motor accidents. The accident involving the cyclist was reported separately by 7 News, and many of the comments in the 7 News Facebook thread blame the victim.
The Brisbane Times reports that an elderly cyclist is in a critical condition after colliding with a pole in St Lucia.
Pedalling for Change 