On July 6, Bicycle Network brought together bike riding advocates and stakeholders from across Sydney to discuss key issues and concerns arising from major construction works. Unfortunately, the catalyst for this forum was the number of incidents reported to Bicycle Network, as well as a number of unsafe situations that involved their staff.
In addition to Bicycle Network, the Vulnerable Road User forum included representatives from the Heart Foundation, AustRoads, City of Sydney, Bicycle NSW, BIKEast, Ashfield Bicycle Group, CBD Coordination Office and NSW Department of Health.
The range of concerns and risk and challenges facing Sydney at the moment was discussed. There is currently more construction in Sydney than there ever has before. This has resulted in some pockets of inexperience with temporary transport management planning described as sometimes “they just aren’t thinking of you”.
AustRoads are currently working on a new set of guidelines for Works On Road which describes any works on the road or road related area – to accommodate safe passage for all users – people walking, people cycling, public transport users, people whose vehicles have broken down. These guidelines will be shorter, easier to understand for all readers (not just engineers), to enable clearer understanding and consistency across situations. This will assist the people who prepare the Transport Management Plans, as well as the people onsite who implement and manage the transport flow.
Acccompanying these new set of guidelines will be updated training and accreditation processes.
As that is still a number of years away, the best approach in the meantime is to report any hazards to the road authority and the contractor.
This can be confusing, so to make it easier for everyone, the first point of contact can be the local council for that area, and if they are not responsible for that road, they will likely redirect you to other parties, whether it is a state road (RMS responsibility) or another group.
When reporting issues, collect as much information about the hazardous situation as possible:
- Location – Google maps link if possible
- Date and time
- Clear description – Which direction of travel is the hazard occuring in? Which side of the road is it on? Measurements?
- Concerns – What are your concerns? Eg. no footpath ramp means wheelchair users and people with strollers cannot continue their journey, uneven surface can mean potential trip hazards.
- Photos – if possible
- Suggestions – If you have experience, you can also make suggestions on how they can improve the situation, however, this is often best left up to the people who are familiar with the specific technical requirements and Australian Standards.
The outcomes from the forum included approaching Safe Work Australia to discuss and gain information on the best process for reporting hazards on construction sites.
Hopefully, with this initiative, we can build awareness around construction sites to enable transport planning to accommodate and ensure all users of the road and road related areas can continue safely and easily on their journey.
We thank Bicycle Network for setting up this forum and driving this discussion. Special thanks to Bastien Wallace for her ongoing work in this space. Bicycle Network writeup here.
