A NON-MOTORISED USER'S PERSPECTIVE ON SAFETY ISSUES AND WORLD BEST NON-MOTORISED SAFETY PRACTICE IN THE NETHERLANDS

In 1995, 46 percent of all trips in the Netherlands were made by either walking or riding bicycles. Dutch cities are famous for being bicycle friendly; however, they are pedestrian friendly as well, which is why the Dutch walk almost as much as they did 20 years ago. Most children, females, the elderly and disabled wheel chair users find it easier and less hazardous to get around than in Australia. The high quality of the data the Dutch routinely collect for walking and cycling makes it very easy to explain why that is so. From the Australian data available the pedestrian road death rate per 100,000 km walked is five times higher than the death rate in the Netherlands. It is concluded that Australian non-motorised user exposure data need to be collected, to monitor non-motorised user death and injury rates. The health benefit of non-motorised travel is recognised by public health authorities but not acted upon by most transport and funding agencies. It is argued that there is a need to create a non-violent transport system by constraining the increase in motorisation with traffic demand management measures and creating car free city centres; that a low speed culture be promoted. A 50-km/h default limit on urban main roads and a 40 km/h residential precinct limit must be introduced. There is a need for new innovations in road-user education and traffic law enforcement to improve the safety and convenience of non-motorised travellers. There is an urgent need for more safe road crossings, refuges and bicycle paths and to stop building multi-lane roundabouts in urban areas. New Australian Design Rules are needed for motor vehicles to reduce crash impact trauma and there is an urgent need to ban bullbars in urban areas. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E204599.