CYCLIST

IN VICTORIAS NORTH EAST

CYCLISTS' PERCEIVED RISKS AND HABITS

SAFETY
North East

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

june 2012
Prepared by | Nolan Media and Events

Table of Contents
page number

eXeCuTIVe SummarY ................................................................................... 3-4 SURVEY METHOD ........................................................................................ 4 DemOgrapHIC maKe-up ................................................................................. 5 AGE RANGE ................................................................................................. 5 genDer OF CYCLISTS ....................................................................................... 5 ORIGIN OF CYCLISTS ................................................................................... 5 CYCLIST SKILL LeVeL........................................................................................ 6 POPULARITY OF DIFFERENT CYCLING PASTIMES ....................................... 6 prOpOrTIOn OF CYCLIng TIme SpenT On DIFFerenT paSTImeS ............ 6 RECREATIONAL CYCLING ............................................................................ 6 CYCLIng FOr COmmuTIng purpOSeS .......................................................... 7 CYCLING FOR TOURISM ............................................................................... 7 prOpOrTIOn OF CYCLIng TIme SpenT On COmpeTITIOn .......................... 7 CYCLISTS PREFERRED ROAD TYPES .......................................................... 7 FaVOurITe nOrTH eaST VICTOrIa CYCLIng area ....................................... 8 CYCLING ALONE OR IN GROUPS .................................................................. 8 TYpe OF CYCLIng grOup ................................................................................. 9 SIZE OF CYCLING GROUPS .......................................................................... 9 DISTanCeS CYCLeD In grOupS ...................................................................... 9 CYCLING ACCIDENTS ................................................................................. 10 CauSe FOr aCCIDenTS nOmInaTeD bY CYCLISTS ..................................... 10 CAUSES OF NEAR MISSES ........................................................................ 10 CYCLISTS eXperIenCe OF DrIVer aggreSSIOn ....................................... 11 TYPE OF DRIVER AGGRESSION ................................................................. 11 CauSe FOr DrIVer aggreSSIOn ................................................................. 11 REPORTING OF DRIVER AGGRESSION ...................................................... 12 mObILe pHOne uSe WHILe CYCLIng ........................................................... 12 USE OF HEADPHONES WHILE CYCLING .................................................... 12 CYCLISTS SuggeSTIOnS FOr ImprOVIng CYCLIST SaFeTY In nOrTH eaST VICTOrIa ............................................................................... 13 CYCLISTS PREFERRED FORM OF COMMUNICATION ................................. 13

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012 2

executive summary
RoadSafe north east has commissioned a survey to identify perceived risks as nominated by cyclists in the north east Victoria region, along with cycling habits, experiences and suggestions for improving cycling safety in the region. however, with 43 cyclists indicating they ride in groups of 51 or more cyclists and another 51 who cycle in groups of between 35-50. So while cycling in small groups is more common, the survey responses indicate there are still cycling groups of large numbers on the north east Over a six week period from april to June 2012, 500 survey Victoria roads. more than half the cyclists forms were distributed at known cyclist locations, such surveyed had had a cycling accident in the north east as cycling stores and cafes Victoria region. Of those on cyclist routes. Surveys who had had a cycling were also made available accident in the region, the online, inviting cyclists to most frequently occurring participate. shire was the rural City of There were 302 completed Wangaratta (48, or 16 per survey forms returned by cent of the survey group). cyclists. about half were This could be reflective of the completed by men and half origin of survey participants, by women, with most of as almost one third were the cyclists indicating they from Wangaratta. The next were of intermediate or most frequently occurring experienced skill levels and shire for cycling accidents most being from the north was the alpine Shire (33, or east Victoria region. almost 11 per cent), followed by the half the survey participants Shire of benalla (33, or 11 per were aged 41-60 years. cent). albury/Wodonga had 20 responses indicated that the accidents reported, the Shire of most popular form of cycling Indigo had 12, moira Shire had in the region is recreational 12 and Towong Shire had 10. cycling, with the next most The most frequent causes of popular reason being commuting, but this was well these accidents nominated by the cyclists were road behind recreational riding, both in the number of cyclists conditions and drivers not looking. This was followed engaging in it and the time by cars overtaking too spent engaging in it. close to riders. after this, There was a fairly even split cyclists nominated their of cyclists cycling in groups own behavior as the cause, and alone. When cycling in including distractions/lack groups, the most frequent of cyclist concentration, form of group was a casual poor cyclist visibility, cycling cycling bunch and the most more than two abreast and frequent group size was excessive cyclist speed on less than five cyclists. Large downhills. For every accident cycling groups still do occur attributed to driver error, cyclists perceived they had experienced many more near misses due to the same types of driver error. Just over half the cyclists surveyed said they had experienced driver aggression. The majority of these did not report it to the police. The most common forms of driver aggression were verbal aggression and obscene gestures, with a minority of cases (eight per cent) involving physical contact and one per cent resulting in injuries to the cyclist. Cyclists believed the main cause of the driver aggression they had experienced was road sharing issues, combined with intolerant and ignorant attitudes from drivers. Cyclists rarely perceived their own behavior on the roads as being the reason for driver aggression. Cyclists were also asked about their attitude to using mobile phones and headphones while cycling. more than three quarters said they do not use a mobile phone while cycling, with a similar number saying they did not think it was safe to do so. The vast majority (80 per cent) also said they did not use headphones while cycling and 73 per cent said they did not think it was safe to do so. Cyclists were asked for suggestions to improve cyclist safety in the north east Victoria region. many of their answers focused around the need to improve road sharing issues.

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012 3

education was a frequently suggested strategy and this included general education, as well as education for drivers and cyclists specifically. many people commented that this education should be focused around the need to share the road. Some suggested education should begin at schools. The call for education was accompanied by a call for strong media campaigns, across television, radio and newspapers. people commented that this campaign needed to focus on making drivers aware that cyclists are on the roads, that they are entitled to ride two abreast and that drivers need to look out for them. Several people commented on the need for an a metre matters campaign, to ensure drivers give cyclists adequate space on the roads. Several people commented that the campaigns should feature

local people, to bring home the safety message at a local level. One person commented that the campaigns should let (the) driver know it could be someone they know on that bike. another said media campaigns should use local cyclists with whom drivers can relate to e.g.: local professional / people who are well known in the community. after education and media campaigns, the most commonly suggested practical strategy for improving cyclist safety in the north east Victoria region was to improve roads to make more room for cyclists to share the roads. many people commented on the need to seal shoulders and create bike lanes, as well as widening roads to make more room for cyclists. There were also many suggestions for creating more bike paths to separate drivers and cyclists.

Signage was also a commonly suggested strategy. again, this was often commented on in relation to the need for all drivers to be aware they need to share the road with cyclists. Cyclists also suggested reminding cyclists to wear bright, high visibility clothing, to be aware on the roads and ride defensively and safely to increase their own safety on the roads. as well as the many calls for driver education, some cyclists suggested that drivers need to improve their attitude towards and tolerance of cyclists on the roads. There were also some suggestions for more police presence and enforcement of road rules, increasing cyclist numbers to increase safety and changing laws to improve cyclist safety.

Survey method
Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

The survey was conducted by nolan Media and events, a private company based in Wangaratta, in Victorias north-east region, for RoadSafe north east. Survey forms were designed by nolan Media and events in consultation with RoadSafe north east. Over a six week period between 16 January 2012 and 24 February 2012 nolan media and events distributed 600 survey forms to known cyclist locations, with 302 being completed and returned by cyclists for analysis. The survey forms comprised of 16 questions regarding cyclists demographic makeup, level of cycling experience, cycling habits and pastimes, group and solo cycling habits, accident history, causes of accidents, experiences of driver aggression and attitudes towards using headphones and mobile phones while cycling. Cyclists were also asked to suggest ways to make cycling safer in the north east Victoria region. please see attachment One of this report for a copy of the survey form. The results of the survey are presented in this report.

Demographic make-up Age range

Of the 302 cyclists who participated in the survey, the most frequently occurring age ranges were 41-50 years and 51-60 years. There were 68 cyclists (or 22.5 per cent of the survey group) in each of these age ranges. Combined, the number of riders aged 41-60 made up almost half the survey group (136 cyclists, or 45 per cent). The next most frequently occurring age range was 31-40 years (60 riders, or 20 per cent). There were 33 riders aged 17-23 years (11 per cent), 25 aged 24-30 years (eight per cent) and 48 aged over 60 years (16 per cent). Figure 1 shows the age range of the survey participants.

Age RAnge of CyCliSTS

gender of cyclists
The gender split of the 302 riders who completed the survey was roughly even, with 154 (51 per cent) being male and 148 (49 per cent) female.

FIGURE 1: age OF CYCLISTS SurVeYeD (n=302)

oRigin of CyCliSTS by ToWn

origin of cyclists
The 302 cyclists surveyed were from across Victoria, southern nSW and South australia. The majority (280, or 93 per cent) were from regional Victoria, as shown in Figure 2. Of the 280 regional Victorian cyclists, the vast majority (270, or 96 per cent) were from north east Victoria. The remainder were from a range of areas across the state, as shown in Figure 3. The origin of all surveyed cyclists by town is shown in Figure 4. The most common town of origin was Wangaratta (95), followed by Yarrawonga/bundalong (64). There were 28 riders from bobinawarrah and 23 from barooga. The remainder of locations represented in the survey scattered throughout regional Victoria, melbourne, southern nSW and South australia had less than 10 riders each.
oRigin of CyCliSTS

nSW (8) Sa (1) melbourne (6) regional Victoria (280) not Specified (6)

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

FIGURE 2: OrIgIn OF CYCLISTS (n=302)

oRigin of RegionAl ViCToRiA CyCliSTS

SW Vic (2) Central Vic (3) nW Vic (4) ne Vic (270) east Vic (1)

FIGURE 3: OrIgIn OF regIOnaL VICTOrIa CYCLISTS (n=280)

FIGURE 4: OrIgIn OF SurVeYeD CYCLISTS bY TOWn (n=302)

Cyclist skill level

Cyclists were asked whether they believed their cycling skills to be at the beginner, intermediate, or experienced level. Of the 302 cyclists surveyed, 134 (44 per cent) said they had intermediate level cyclists and 126 (42 per cent) said they were experienced cyclists. There were 38 (12.5 per cent) who said they were beginner cyclists and four who did not answer this question. The responses are shown in Figure 5. Combined, the number of cyclists who consider themselves to be intermediate or experienced was 260, or 86 per cent of the survey group.

CyCliST Skill leVel

Popularity of different cycling pastimes

Four reasons for cycling were presented to the surveyed cyclists. These were recreation, commuting, competition and tourism. While tourism could also be considered to be a form of recreational cycling, it was presented as an independent category to identify its popularity as a cycling pastime in itself. Cyclists were asked to nominate which cycling pastimes they engaged in and the proportion of their cycling time that was spent on these pastimes. The survey results indicated that recreation is the most popular activity for cyclists in the north east Victoria region. recreational cycling was the most popular pastime, both in the number of cyclists who engaged in it and the proportion of overall cycling time spent on it. Figure 6 shows the numbers of cyclists who participate in each of the four cycling categories presented. There were 216 cyclists who engage in recreational cycling, 137 who cycle to commute, 88 who cycle competitively and 93 who cycle for tourism purposes.

FIGURE 5: SurVeYeD CYCLISTS nOmInaTeD SKILL LeVeL (n=302)

nuMbeR of CyCliSTS Who SPenD TiMe on eACh PASTiMe

FIGURE 6: numberS WHO CYCLe FOr reCreaTIOn, COmmuTIng, COmpeTITIOn anD TOurISm rIDIng purpOSeS

Proportion of cycling time spent on different pastimes

Cyclists also indicated what percentage of cycling time they spent on each cycling activity they engaged in (of recreation, commuting, competition and tourism). more people indicated that they spent higher proportions of time on recreational riding than any of the other cycling pastimes. Commuting was the second most popular cycling purpose in terms of proportion of cycling time spent, although it was well below recreation in terms of this. Competition was the third most popular category in terms of proportion of time spent and was only slightly less popular than commuting. Tourism was the least popular category in terms of cycling time spent, with more than a third of those who say they spend time cycling for tourism spending less than 20 per cent of their overall cycling time doing so. Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012 Figure 7 below provides an overall summary of how the surveyed cyclists split their cycling time. please note that the total number of responses in each category does not equal the total survey group number (302) as not all cyclists nominated an answer in each category. The total number of responses is also greater than the survey group, as some people indicated they engage in more than one type of cycling activity.
SPliT of CyCling TiMe

It can be seen in Figure 8 that in terms of the activity in which cyclists spend more than 80 per cent of their cycling time, 96 cyclists said they spend more than 80 per cent of their cycling time on recreation. This by far exceeded the next most popular purpose at this proportion of time spent, which was commuting (27 cyclists, or 18 per cent), followed by competition (20 cyclists, or 13 per cent) and tourism (11 cyclists, or 18 per cent). a similar pattern was followed in responses to the purpose for cycling 61-80 per cent of the time and 41-60 per cent of the time. The results shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7 indicate that in the north east Victoria region, more cyclists ride for recreation than for any other purpose and that more cyclists spend more of their cycling time on recreation than any other purpose. The following graphs individually detail how cyclists spend their cycling time across each of the four nominated categories.

Recreational cycling
It can be seen below in Figure 8, that of the 216 people who cycle for recreation, most spend the majority of their cycling time doing so.

PRoPoRTion of CyCling TiMe SPenT on ReCReATion

6
FIGURE 7: HOW SurVeYeD CYCLISTS SpLIT THeIr CYCLIng TIme (n=534) FIGURE 8: prOpOrTIOn OF TIme SpenT rIDIng FOr reCreaTIOn (n=216)

Cycling for commuting purposes

It can be seen from Figure 9, that of those 137 surveyed cyclists who cycle to commute, 46 (one third of all the commuter cyclists), spend less than 20 per cent of their total cycling time commuting. There were 27 commuter cyclists (20 per cent of the commuter cyclists) who said that commuting makes up more than 80 per cent of their cycling time.

PRoPoRTion of CyCling TiMe SPenT CoMMuTing

Cycling for tourism

Figure 10 shows that of the 93 cyclists who said they ride for tourism purposes, 35 (38 per cent of all those who ride for tourism) said it takes up less than 20 per cent of their cycling time. This decreased progressively down to 11 cyclists (12 per cent of all tourism cyclists), who said they spend more than 80 per cent of their time riding for tourism. riding for tourism purposes could also be considered to be a form of recreational riding, therefore adding to the relative popularity of recreational riding in the north east Victoria region.

FIGURE 9: prOpOrTIOn OF TIme SpenT CYCLIng FOr COmmuTIng (n=137)

PRoPoRTion of CyCling TiMe SPenT on TouRiSM

Proportion of cycling time spent on competition

Of the 88 cyclists who said they cycle for competition, there was a fairly even spread as to the amount of their cycling time they spend riding competitively. There were 20 cyclists (23 per cent of all those who cycle competitively) who spend more than 80 per cent of their time cycling competitively and 19 (21.5 per cent) who spend less than 20 per cent of their cycling time on competition, with a fairly even spread of time spent in between these two categories.

Cyclists preferred road types

Cyclists were then asked about their preferred road types. They were given four road types and asked what percentage of road type they preferred for cycling. The four options presented were: Hilly high country roads (eg Mt Hotham/Tawonga Gap); Meandering valley roads (eg. Taminick/Glenrowan/Warby Ranges); Open flat roads (eg. Shepparton/Cobram/Benalla/ Wangaratta/Milawa/Rutherglen); and Rail Trails (eg. Wangaratta/Beechworth/Myrtleford/Bright/ mansfield/bonnie Doon). It can be seen from Figure 12 that of those 191 cyclists who preferred open flat roads, 54 (28 per cent) preferred them more than 80 per cent of the time. Of the 144 who preferred meandering valley roads, 13 (nine per cent) preferred them more than 80 per cent of the time. Of the 139 cyclists who preferred rail trails, (11.5 per cent) preferred them more than 80 per cent of the time. Of the four options, open flat roads were nominated most frequently as cyclists preferred road type. There were 191 cyclists who nominated this as their preferred road type. The next most popular road type was meandering valley roads (144 cyclists), followed by rail trails (139 cyclists) and then hilly high country roads (96 cyclists). Figure 12 summarises the cyclists preferred road types. please note that the total number of responses (570) adds to more than the total survey group (302), as riders could nominate more than one road type as being preferred. Of those who preferred hilly high country roads, seven (seven per cent) preferred them more than 80 per cent of the time. So while open flat roads were the most popular road type, they were also preferred more of the time relative to other preferred road types.

FIGURE 10: prOpOrTIOn OF TIme SpenT CYCLIng FOr TOurISm (n=93)

PRoPoRTion of CyCling TiMe SPenT on CoMPeTiTion

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

FIGURE 11: prOpOrTIOn OF TIme SpenT CYCLIng FOr COmpeTITIOn (n=88)

CyCliSTS PRefeRReD RoAD TyPeS

7
FIGURE 12: CYCLISTS' preFerreD rOaD TYpeS (n=570)

favourite north east Victoria cycling area

Cyclists were asked to nominate their favourite riding area in the north east Victoria region. There were 94 responses to this question, with several people nominating more than one area. The responses are summarised in Figure 13. The alpine area was one of the most popular areas nominated (14) and this was in addition to separate nominations for the areas of bright (15) and myrtleford (7). beechworth was also popular, with 15 nominations, followed by Wangaratta and Yarrawonga (12 nominations each). The milawa/Oxley region was nominated 10 times, as were rail trails and bike paths in general. a number of other smaller rural areas were also nominated, including eldorado (6) greta/Tarrawingee (5), rutherglen (4), the Warby ranges (6), glenrowan (6) and the murray river/bundalong (5).

fAVouRiTe CyCling AReAS

Cycling alone or in groups

Cyclists were asked what percentage of their cycling was in groups and alone. There were 203 people who said they cycle in groups some or all of the time and 216 who said they cycle alone some or all of the time. This was a roughly even spread. It should be noted that some people stated they ride both alone and in groups. There were 112 people who said they cycle alone up to half the time and 79 who said they cycle alone more than half the time. There were 25 people who said they cycle alone about half the time. Of those who said they cycle in groups, there were 71 who said they cycle in a group up to half the time and 108 who said they cycle in groups more than half the time. There were 24 who said they ride in groups about half the time. The numbers of people who cycle alone and in groups and the percentage of the time they spend doing each are shown in Figure 14. Cyclists were also asked to describe how often they ride in a group or alone on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. Their responses are summarised in Figure 15. most people surveyed cycled up to several times a week and the split of riding alone and in a group was fairly even across all frequencies.

FIGURE 13: FaVOurITe nOrTH eaST VICTOrIa CYCLIng areaS (n=146)

CyCling in A gRouP oR Alone

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

FIGURE 14: number anD perCenTage OF TIme SpenT CYCLIng In grOupS anD aLOne

hoW ofTen CyCling in A gRouP/Alone

FIGURE 15: HOW OFTen rIDIng In a grOup/aLOne

Type of cycling group

Cyclists were asked what type of group they cycled with. Some people nominated more than one type of group, adding to 380 responses overall. The most popular type of cycling group was a casual riding group (162 cyclists, or 43 per cent of those who ride in groups), followed by a cycling club (110, or 29 per cent) and a cycling bunch (108, or 29 per cent). The responses are summarised in Figure 16.

TyPe of CyCling gRouP

Size of cycling groups

Figure 17 shows the size of cycling groups cyclists ride in, according to which type of cycling group they are in. It can be seen that of the 162 cycling in casual riding groups, almost half (75, or 46 per cent) ride in groups of less than five people. The remaining half is made up of groups ranging from five-10 cyclists (23, or 14 per cent), to more than 51 cyclists (11, or seven per cent). There were also 22 people in casual riding groups who said they ride in groups of between 35-50 cyclists. Of the 108 people who cycle in cycling bunches, the most frequently occurring group size was 10-20 cyclists (39 cyclists, or 36 per cent of the cycling bunch total). another 26 in the cycling bunch group (24 per cent) cycled in groups of five-10. Only five cycling bunch cyclists rode in groups of less than five people. Of the 110 people who rode as part of a cycling club, the two largest groups were five-10 cyclists and 10-20, each of which had 24 cyclists. Combined, this means almost half of those who cycle as part of a cycling club group ride in groups of between 5-20 people. So while casual riding groups were the most popular form of cycling group amongst those surveyed, cyclists in these groups are more likely to be cycling in groups of less than five people, while those who ride as part of cycling bunches or cycling clubs are more likely to ride in groups of five to 20 people. all types of cycling groups had reported groups of 51 cyclists or more. Figure 18 shows the frequency of different sized cycling groups, also splitting these into the three different categories of cycling club, cycling bunch and casual riding group. It can be seen that the most frequently occurring cycling group size amongst those cyclists surveyed in north east Victoria, was groups of less than five people (91, or 24 per cent). There were 73 people (19 per cent) who ride in groups of five-10 people, 82 (21.5 per cent) who ride in groups of 10-20 people, 40 (10.5 per cent) who ride in groups of 21-34 people, 51 (13 per cent) who ride in groups of 35-50 and (11 per cent) who ride in groups of more than 50.
FIGURE 16: TYpe OF CYCLIng grOup (n= 380)

Size of CyCling gRouP

FIGURE 17: SIZe OF CYCLIng grOupS bY TYpe OF grOup (n=380)

fRequenCy of CyCling gRouP SizeS

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

FIGURE 18: FreQuenCY OF CYCLIng grOup SIZeS (n=380)

Distances cycled in groups

Cyclists also indicated how far they cycled as part of their cycling groups. Their responses are shown in Figure 19. The most frequent group cycling distance among those surveyed was 20-50 kilometres (77 cyclists). The next most frequently cycled distance was 50-75 kilometres (62 cyclists), then 75-100 kilometres (54), then more than 100 kilometres (37). The least common distance cycled in a group was less than 20 kilometres (31). The ratios of distances covered was roughly even whether riders were from cycling groups, cycling bunches or casual riding groups, although only one (1) cycling club cyclist reported riding less than 20 kilometres in a group ride.
DiSTAnCe RiDDen by CyCling gRouPS

FIGURE 19: DISTanCe rIDDen bY CYCLISTS In grOupS (n=261)

Cycling accidents
The surveyed cyclists were asked if they had ever had a cycling accident in the north east or high country Victoria regions and if so, which shire it was in. all survey participants answered this question. more than half (169, or 56 per cent of the survey group) had had a cycling accident in the north east Victoria region. There were 133 cyclists (44 per cent of survey group) who had not had a cycling accident Of those who had had a cycling accident in the north east or high country Victoria region, the most frequently occurring shire was the rural City of Wangaratta (48, or 16 per cent of the survey group). This could be reflective of the origin of survey participants, as 95 of the total cyclists surveyed (31 per cent) were from Wangaratta. The next most frequently occurring shire for cycling accidents was the alpine Shire (33, or 11 per cent), followed by benalla (33, or 11 per cent). albury/Wodonga had 20 accidents reported, the Shire of Indigo had 12, moira Shire had 12 and Towong Shire 10. The responses to this question are shown in Figure 20.

CyCling ACCiDenT ShiRe loCATionS

No

ts en id cc A

y ur lb /A ga on od W

ng wo To

ta at ar ng a W

ne pi Al

go di In

lla na Be

ra oi M

FIGURE 20: CYCLIng aCCIDenTS bY SHIre (n=302)

Cause for accidents nominated by cyclists

Cyclists were presented with a range of possible causes for cycling crashes they have had. These options were: Road conditions (eg. Potholes, loose gravel, sticks/debris on road); Car drivers not looking or seeing cyclists (eg. At intersections); Cars overtaking too close to cyclists; Distractions/lack of concentration by cyclist; Poor cyclist visibility (eg. Weather, time of day); Cycling more than two abreast (eg. Bunch riders racing) Excessive cyclist speed on downhills (eg. Crossing double lines); Dooring (eg car doors opening on cyclist); and Other (where cyclists could nominate other reasons for accidents had). The responses cyclists provided are shown in Figure 21. The most frequent causes nominated were road conditions and car drivers not looking (52 each). This was followed by cars overtaking too close to riders (42). The next most frequently nominated causes were those related to cyclists own behavior. These were distractions/lack of cyclist concentration (33), poor cyclist visibility (30), cycling more than two abreast (30) and excessive cyclist speed on downhills (19). Dooring was nominated in 14 cases as the cause of the accident and other reasons were nominated in 50 cases. With the top three causes of accidents nominated road conditions and driver error, combined with dooring, cyclists nominated external conditions as being the cause of accident in 160 cases and cyclist error as the cause in 101 cases, excluding the 50 other reasons given.

CyCliSTS noMinATeD CAuSe foR ACCiDenTS hAD

FIGURE 21: CauSe FOr aCCIDenTS nOmInaTeD bY CYCLISTS

CAuSeS of neAR MiSSeS/ACCiDenTS AS noMinATeD by CyCliSTS

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

Causes of near misses

Cyclists were also asked whether they had ever had a near miss and if so, what had been the cause. The reasons they nominated are plotted in Figure 22 and are also plotted against the reasons given for accidents. It can be seen that in all categories of driver error, cyclists perceive they have had many more near misses than accidents. So for every accident attributed to driver error, there are many more near misses also attributed. Conversely, in most areas of cyclist error, for each accident attributed, there were fewer near misses attributed.
FIGURE 22: CauSeS OF near mISSeS/aCCIDenTS aS nOmInaTeD bY CYCLISTS

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Cyclists experience of driver aggression

Cyclists were asked whether they had ever experienced driver aggression directed towards them. Just over half (167, or 53 per cent), said they had. There were 116 cyclists who said they had not experienced driver aggression and 19 who did not answer the question. The survey results are shown in Figure 23.

exPeRienCeD DRiVeR AggReSSion

6%

nO(116) Yes (167) not Specified 19)

Type of driver aggression

Cyclists who had experienced driver aggression were asked to nominate whether the driver: Was mildly frustrated; Was verbally aggressive; Used obscene gestures; or Made physical contact. Some cyclists stated the driver had displayed more than one of the above categories. In 121 cases (43 per cent), cyclists said the driver had been verbally aggressive. This was the most common form of driver aggression experienced. The next most common was the driver making obscene gestures. This happened in a third of cases (94 cases, or 33 per cent). In 41 cases, cyclists said the driver was mildly frustrated. In a minority of cases (23, or eight per cent) cyclists said the driver made direct physical contact with them and in three cases (one per cent) that they sustained injuries resulting from the aggression. The responses to this question are shown in Figure 24.

39% 55%

FIGURE 23: number OF CYCLISTS WHO HaD eXperIenCeD DrIVer aggreSSIOn TOWarDS THem (n=302)

TyPe of DRiVeR AggReSSion exPeRienCeD

Cause for driver aggression

Cyclists were asked to state what they believed the reasons had been for the driver aggression incidents they had experienced. Overwhelmingly the cyclists nominated the driver as being the cause. Of 82 reasons identified, only two were stated as being cyclist error. The most common reason given for driver aggression was driver intolerance of cyclists and frustration with them on the roads (21 responses, or 26 per cent of the total responses). This was often linked to issues of sharing space on the roads 916 responses), with drivers not wishing to have to slow down, or passing too close to cyclists. The next most frequent reason nominated was driver error or ignorance of road rules in regards to cyclists (17 responses). Drivers not looking was cited as the cause in 10 incidents. Drivers overtaking and road quality creating crowded conditions were each cited eight times as the reason for the driver aggression. This is in addition to the responses nominating general road sharing/ space issues the cause of the driver aggression. The responses to the question are summarised in Figure 25. They indicate that the main cause for driver aggression in cyclists experience and opinion is road sharing issues, combined with intolerant and ignorant attitudes from drivers. Cyclists rarely perceive their own behavior on the roads as being the reason for driver aggression.

FIGURE 24: TYpe OF DrIVer aggreSSIOn eXperIenCeD bY CYCLISTS (n=282)

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

CAuSe foR DRiVeR AggReSSion

FIGURE 25: CauSeS FOr DrIVer aggreSSIOn InCIDenTS aS nOmInaTeD bY CYCLISTS (n=82)

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Reporting of driver aggression

The majority of cyclists did not report their experience of driver aggression to the police. While in the previous question, 167 people said they had experienced driver aggression, only 53 said they had reported it to police. There were 116 cyclists who said they had not experienced driver aggression in the previous question and with 175 who said they had not reported it to police, this may include some people who did not have an incident to report. There were 23 (nine per cent) who did not provide an answer to this question. The survey results indicate that while the majority of cyclists had experienced an incident of driver aggression, the majority of these do not report it to the police. responses to this question are shown in Figure 26.

DiD CyCliSTS RePoRT DRiVeR AggReSSion To PoliCe?

NO INCIDENT TO REPORT (51)

NOT SPECIFIED (23)

YES (53)

NO (175)

Mobile phone use while cycling

Cyclists were asked whether they answer or use a mobile phone while cycling and whether they thought it was safe to do so. more than three quarters of cyclists (232, or 77 per cent) said they do not use a mobile phone while cycling. There were 65 cyclists (21.5 per cent) who said they do answer or use a mobile phone while cycling and five who did not answer the question. Cyclists responses as to whether they thought it was safe to use a mobile phone while cycling were consistent with their responses as to whether they would do so. There were 230 cyclists who thought it was not safe to use a mobile phone while cycling and 66 who did. The surveyed cyclists views on mobile phone use are shown in Figure 27.

FIGURE 26: repOrTIng OF DrIVer aggreSSIOn InCIDenTS TO THe pOLICe

Mobile Phone uSe While CyCling

use of headphones while cycling

Cyclists were also asked whether they use headphones to listen to music or the radio while they are cycling and whether they thought it was safe to do so. The vast majority (242 cyclists, or 80 per cent) said they did not use headphones while cycling and 221 (73 per cent) said they did not think it was safe to do so. There were 55 cyclists (18 per cent) who said they did use headphones while cycling and 59 (23 per cent) thought it was safe to do so. The surveyed cyclists views on headphone use while cycling are shown in Figure 28.
FIGURE 27: uSe OF mObILe pHOneS WHILe CYCLIng (n=302)

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

uSe of heADPhoneS While CyCling

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FIGURE 28: uSe OF HeaDpHOneS WHILe CYCLIng (n=302)

Cyclists suggestions for improving cyclist safety in north east Victoria

Cyclists were asked to suggest ways to prevent cycling crashes in north east Victoria. There were 372 suggestions made and these are summarised below in Figure 29. education was a frequently suggested strategy and this included general education (48 responses), as well as education for drivers (47) and cyclists (24) specifically. many people commented this education should focus on the need to share the road between drivers and cyclists. Some suggested education should begin at schools. The call for education was accompanied by a call for strong media campaigns, across television (51 responses), radio (29) and newspapers (13). people commented that this campaign needed to focus on making drivers aware that cyclists are on the roads, that cyclists are entitled to ride two abreast and that drivers need to look out for them. Several people also commented on the need for an a metre matters campaign, to ensure drivers give cyclists adequate space on the roads. Several people commented that the campaigns should feature local people, to bring home the message at a local level. One person commented that the campaigns should let (the) driver know it could be someone they know on that bike. another said media campaigns should use local cyclists with whom drivers can relate to e.g.: local professional / people who are well known in the community. apart from education and media campaigns, the most commonly suggested practical strategy for improving cyclist safety in the north east Victoria region was to improve roads to make more room for cyclists. There were 52 suggestions for this. many people commented on the need to seal shoulders and create bike lanes, as well as widening roads to make more room for cyclists. Similarly, there were also 26 suggestions for creating more bike paths to separate drivers and cyclists. Signage was also a commonly suggested strategy (37 responses). again, this was often commented on in relation to the need for all road users to share the road, being suggested as a way to let drivers know that cyclists use the road and remind drivers to share the road. There were 16 suggestions around reminding cyclists to wear bright, high visibility clothing, to be aware on the roads and to ride defensively and safely to increase their own safety on the roads. There were 14 suggestions that drivers need to improve their attitude towards and tolerance of cyclists on the roads. There were 10 suggestions for more police presence and enforcement of road rules, three people who suggested that increasing cyclist numbers will increase safety and two people who suggested changing laws to improve cyclist safety.
CyCliST SuggeSTionS foR iMPRoVeD SAfeTy

FIGURE 29: CYCLISTS SuggeSTIOnS FOr ImprOVeD SaFeTY (n=372)

Cyclist Safety in Victorias North East | June 2012

Cyclists preferred form of communication

Surveyed cyclists were presented with a range of ways they could be informed about cycling safety issues and regulations. as some people nominated more than one form of communication, there were 437 responses to this question. The results are summarised in Figure 30. The most popular form of communication nominated was via websites (95, or 22 per cent of the total responses). The next most popular method was local newspapers (85, or 19 per cent). Clubs (48, or 11 per cent) and brochures (46) were the next most popular methods, followed by television (38), lessons (34) and cycling shops (36). Television was nominated by 38 survey respondents, even though it was not presented as an option on the survey form, with many people nominating it themselves, so if presented as an option of the survey, it may have been nominated more frequently. posters (28) and presentations (26) were the least popular options, while one person self-nominated schools as a preferred communication method.
PRefeRReD foRM of CoMMuniCATion

s er st Po

s ub Cl

s s rs ns es re op pe tio sit hu ta Sh pa eb s n g oc e W in ew Br es cl ln Pr Cy ca Lo

ns so es L

. T.V

s ol ho Sc

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FIGURE 30: CYCLISTS preFerreD FOrmS OF COmmunICaTIOn (n=437)

in ViCToRiAS noRTh eAST

CyCliSTS PeRCeiVeD RiSkS anD hAbiTS

SAfeTy
North East

june 2012

Prepared by | nolan Media and events