This document discusses making local streets safer for cycling by children. It notes declines in children riding and increases in obesity and car dependence. Safer streets could encourage active children and reduce congestion. However, speeding cars and lack of safe routes and perceptions of danger pose challenges. Infrastructure like traffic calming, bike lanes, roundabouts, and contraflow lanes that reduce speeds and prioritize cyclists are discussed. Local examples showing how streets in Australia have implemented such features are provided. The key points are creating equitable speeds of 30km/h or less, direct low volume routes, innovative bike priority designs, and nurturing a culture of respect between all street users.

1. Title
Getting Children Riding Again:
Making Local Streets Safer for Cycling
Phil Gray – GTA Consultants 8 September 2016

2. Overview
The Need
•Decline in riding
•Increased
obesity
•Car
dependence
•Safety
perceptions
Why?
•Active children
•Reduced
congestion
•Connected
communities
The
Challenge
•Speed
•Safe routes
•Perceptions
•Priorities

3. Then
Riding to School Was Fun
Now

4. 2015 Progress Report Card on Active Transport for Children and Young People | AHKA
The Road Less Travelled

5. Travel to School Facts
Source: www.bicyclenetwork.com.au

6. Stranger Danger

7. Group Description Characteristics
A Vulnerable to traffic Children, elderly, hearing impaired
B “Fair weather” riders Lacking confidence, average riding skill
C Active adults
Medium speeds, 'road aware’, good
riding skills
D Sports and fitness
High speed, prefers ‘main road’
environments
Who Uses Local Streets?

8. Rider Characteristics & Environment
Group Rider Characteristics Rider Environment
Primary School
Children
Cognitive skills not developed,
little knowledge of road rules,
requires supervision
Off-road path, footpath (where
permitted), or very low volume
residential street
Secondary
School Children
Skill varies, developing
confidence
Generally use on-road facilities or off-
road paths where available
Austroads 2014, Guide to traffic management: part 4: network management, AGTM04-14, Austroads, Sydney, NSW.

9. Local Street Elements
On-street parking
Raised side-
entry treatment
Lower
speed limit
Cyclists!
LATM
Kerb-outsands

10. Source: www.8-80cities.org/8-80-rule
Infrastructure – for ALL users

11. Source: Sydney’s Cycling Future, 2013
>75% feel safe
>75% feel unsafe
= feel safe &
unsafe

12. Source: NSW Bicycle Guidelines
• Vehicle speeds < 50km/h
• Parking one side
• Bikes share lanes equally with vehicles
• Narrow (2.7m) lanes discourage
overtaking
• Best when speeds equitable (e.g. ≤ 30
km/h)
Mixed Traffic

13. Mixed Traffic vs
Separation?
• Still current?
• Constrained environments
• Retrofit

14. • Equitable Speeds (30km/h)
• Education/legislation changes?
• Network improvements
• Priority/provision for riders at intersections
• Safe routes to schools
• Bicycle parking at both trip ends
What to Do?

15. Source: Austroads Research Report – Cycling on Higher Speed Roads (AP-R410-12), Figure 2.1, pg. 4 (Austroads, 2012)
%ProbabilityofFatality
30 50
speed management

16. Modified from Garrard, J, 2008

17. 30 km/h / 20 mph Examples

18. Bicycle by-passes
LATM

19. Source: Streets for People Compendium
LATM Speed Profile

20. Rugby Street, South Australia
Self-enforcing speed reduction

21. • Radial better than tangential
• Equitable speed
• “Claim the lane”
• Shared lane markings
2 Refers to roundabout negotiation or maximum entry design speeds
Roundabouts

23. Rugby Street, South Australia
Filtered Permeability

24. Burchett Street, Brunswick
Contra-Flow

25. Nash Street, Brunswick

26. Nash Street, Brunswick

27. Tendency to overprotect

28. 1m passing rule (<60km/h)
New Trial Laws

29. Source: Ellison and Gray, 2011
‘Car is the Guest’

30. New Treatments – Bicycle Boulevards

31. Shared Spaces/Naked Streets

32. Outside the square?

33. Intuitive road designs
Equitable speeds (≤30 km/h)
Direct, low volume routes
Innovative designs - bike priority
N u r t u r e a c u l t u r e o f r e s p e c t
Key Points

34. GTA consultants
Melbourne
Sydney
Brisbane
Canberra
Phil Gray
Associate
Phil.Gray@gta.com.au
@VeloGray
gta.com.au
Adelaide
Gold Coast
Townsville
Perth
Complete transportation specialists