It’s amazing the cyclists one sees on the road in Melbourne nine days out from a state election.
Today is also the day an inquiry was announced in Queensland to examine the enforcement of Queensland’s minimum passing distance law that is designed to prevent the deaths of cyclists riding on public roads. This was sparked by a posthumous ‘open letter’ from Cameron Frewer.
So, the Australian Cycle Alliance inc (Cycle) asked Heath Ryan to pen open letters to both the Hon. Daniel Andrews MP, Victorian Premier, and to Mr Matthew Guy MP, Victorian Opposition Leader, asking each of them two questions:
- Will you immediately re-introduce and pass Minimum Passing Distance (MPD) legislation?
- Will you introduce Driver Insurance to replace the failing TAC compulsory third party scheme that keeps dangerous drivers on public roads?
The wording of current Victorian Road Rule 144A does not specify what constitutes a safe distance when motorist pass cyclists. And, embarrassingly, Victoria is the only state in Australia that has failed to mandate 1 metre as a safe passing distance on roads up to 60 km/h and 1.5 metres on roads with speed limits above 60 km/h.
Driver Insurance requires no public funding while holding drivers accountable for their behaviour, allowing premiums for inattentive, selfish and aggressive drivers to increase, and ultimately getting bad drivers off the road as their dangerous actions make them uninsurable.
The passage of these two pieces of legislation will cost the State of Victoria next to nothing, will reduce the cost of insurance for safe drivers, and will reduce the cost of vehicle registration for all Victorians. But more importantly, a price cannot be put on the value of the lives these two pieces of legislation will save.
Read our letters here:
Which party leader will be the first to say ‘yes’ to both questions?
