Val is interviewed about new Victorian cycling laws introduced on 1 July in Yarra Reporter: New Laws Leave Cyclists Flat by Joseph Regan (15 July 2017)
However, Val Nagle from the Yarra Bicycle Users Group believes that giving cyclists access to bus lane’s is only a start and much more should be done to improve rider safety.
“These changes are window dressing, cars going down these roads are travelling at 60 kms an hour and any cyclist who has any awareness of their own safety doesn’t ride down a road with a bus lane in it,” Mr. Nagle said.
“Personally, the only bus lane I use is the one on Johnson Street and that’s spooky enough as it is, there’s so many bikes and cars moving in an out, particularly between Smith Street and Hoddle Street, that it’s just too tight.”
“No cyclist likes using bus lanes, its dangerous but it’s the lesser of two evils, it’s like the choice between Stalin and Brezhnev.”
The new on the spot fines have also caught the ire of cyclists with many feeling the new law is unnecessary.
“I can understand the argument that there should be one sort of penalty for everyone operating a vehicle on the roads, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen one person out on their bike having a text.”
“This is not a real issue for cyclists, it’s just a law for laws sake,” Mr. Nagle said. Read more here
