Monday, January 3, 2011

Murradoc Road Must be Widened for Cyclist Safety

Yesterday, a cyclist was killed outside my front gate. It was a horrible tragic accident.

The Geelong Advertiser gave a very one sided view of events. They were not there. They did not see it happen. They did not interview anyone involved.

This and other tragic accidents like it could have been avoided if this road and ones like it had a dedicated cyclist lane. Murradoc Road does not have one. It is a very busy road. Garbage trucks, buses, stock trucks, cement mixers, cars towing caravans and boats use this road every day. They are very wide motor vehicles.

The accident happened in an 80 km speed zone with double lines. It is a very narrow stretch of road.

The current advertising campaign of giving cyclists a meter wide gap puts the big vehicles using this road into oncoming traffic.

What needs to happen is for a dedicated cycling lane to be added to each side of the bitumen on this road.

Perhaps the authorities responsible for road maintenance on this road may now decide the time is right to do the right thing. Then again - what price....? What value do you put on a life?

Articles from the Geelong Advertiser related to this story are available at: Bike fatality was at known blackspot and Bike tragedy hits Amy's Ride.

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