ABC Online: Cycling safety in Tasmania

As people were encouraged to get on their bikes and ride to work as part of National Ride to Work Day, some bike riders were asking hat councils are doing to make Hobart and other Tasmanian cities better for bike riding. Anthony Stoner rides his bike about 40 kilometres to and from work every week. He says that people are scared to ride to work in Hobart.

“One of the big barriers to people commuting on a bike in Hobart, is that they’re afraid of traffic,” says Mr Stoner.

“The log trucks take up a whole lane, and don’t leave you any room, but even some of the cars aren’t aware that a bike has the right to the lane and needs the room and they do cut past pretty close sometimes.”

Hobart Lord Mayor Rob Valentine says Hobart City Council is looking at what they can do to make bike riding safer in the city.

“We’ve had a fair bit of effort placed into putting a bicycle plan together. We’ve currently got a draft principle bicycle network which is on public display, and we encourage people to have a look at that,” says Lord Mayor Valentine.

Part of the plan to extend the cycleway on Argyle Street in North Hobart. Funding the cycle project is part of the issue.

“We do put in for grants, and that’s one of the ways we fund it.”

Lord Mayor Valentine says projects like building cycleways is becoming increasingly important.

“I think increasingly, there is a tendency to look at some of these things that are going to improve people’s health. We really need to be looking at those sorts of projects.”

The Mayor of Kingborough Council, Dr Graham Bury, says they are working on improving conditions for bike riders as well.

“We’ve got what we call Kingbike, a Kingborough bicycle users groups. And we’ve got a bicycle plan,” says Dr Bury.

The long term aim is to make cycling from Hobart to Margate down the Channel Highway safe for bike iders.

“There’s quite a bit of work. On the channel highway… there’s a bike lane in some parts of it. It actually makes it safer for cars and less irritating for cars, if there’s actually a cycle lane.

“Once you get south of Kingston to Margate, that road’s scary if you’re on a bike.”

Dr Bury says there is a lot of work that needs to be done to make the roads south of Hobart better for bike riders.

One of the first priorities for Kingborough Council is to make it safer and more appealing for kids to ride around the Kingston area, and the council is working on a cycleway from the sports centre and the school to get kids more active.