The City of Greater Bendigo is seeking community feedback on the draft Greater Bendigo Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2027, which aims to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on Bendigo's roads over the coming years.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the draft action plan was a requirement of the Victorian Government and aligned with national and Victorian road safety strategies.
"It aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Greater Bendigo's road network as a result of road crashes, and is working towards halving road deaths and reducing serious injuries by 2030 (as per Victorian Government targets). It also aims to improve safety to support active and sustainable transport, and improve safe connections and accessibility for everyone," Cr Metcalf said.
"The draft action plan recognises a shared responsibility for the safety of all road users and contains a number of goals that are focused on safer walking and cycling, safer drivers, safer roads, safer travel to schools and safer motorcycling.
"The plan also informs the necessary actions required to make improvements to road safety and guide the implementation of road safety activities within Greater Bendigo for the next five years.
"It is an important piece of work because it outlines key actions and priorities, it will also assist both the City and Regional Roads Victoria to apply for State and Federal funding for future road safety and infrastructure improvement projects."
Residents can view and provide feedback on the draft action plan on the Let's Talk Greater Bendigo website https://letstalkgreaterbendigo.com.au/road-safety-action-plan until Tuesday February 28, 2023.
The City of Greater Bendigo contracted consultants O'Brien Traffic to develop the action plan.
An analysis of five years of casualty crash data from July 2015 to June 2020 showed that:
- Most crashes occurred where the speed limit was 60km/h or less (generally in our built-up areas)
- The majority of crashes in our built-up areas were at intersections
- The majority of crashes on our high-speed rural roads involved vehicles running off the road
- Around a third of crashes on the network involved vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists)
Key findings from the community consultation included:
- The community relies heavily on car travel
- Most of the community participate in active transport (mostly walking)
- People generally think that footpaths are safe
- Many cyclists were concerned about the safety of on-road bike lanes; most cyclists reported feeling unsafe when cycling
- Most motorcyclists reported feeling unsafe
- Three quarters of people said the speed limits on Greater Bendigo's roads are about right and should stay the same, although some people thought they should be lower near shopping areas and around schools
- In our towns people were concerned about vehicle speeds through town centres, footpaths and pedestrian facilities
- The highest priority safety issues were considered to be speeding drivers, distraction, aggressive drivers and cyclist safety
