Riding roughshod
Bruce Guthrie
February 5, 2012 - 3:00AM
PREMIER Ted Baillieu finally killed off the notion of bicycle registration, no doubt prompting sighs of relief from lycra-clad pedal-pushers. Said Ted: ''I think everybody has come down in the past on the side of not doing that, and that's certainly the starting point for me.'' It was a victory for common sense and cyclists.
At least, I think it was. On re-examining the Premier's comments, you realise he left himself a lot of wriggle room. And, more importantly, maybe registration is just what cyclists need if they are ever going to be treated with respect by other road users.
For the most part, I admire cyclists and believe the more we encourage cycling the better. It has obvious health and environmental benefits. But while I am loath to entertain the idea of any new government impost, bicycle registration might at least begin to heal the rift between riders and motorists.
And what a rift it is, as evidenced by the extraordinary support Shane Warne attracted recently in his call for registration. While the incident that provoked his call is the subject of claim and counter-claim, there is no doubt the cricketer tapped into a rich vein of anger among motorists frustrated by the aggressive behaviour of some cyclists and their lack of accountability.
I know that some of this aggression is necessary to simply survive on roads where cyclists are outnumbered, outsized, outweighted and constantly at risk of injury or worse. But do they have to be so righteously indignant about it?
I've had obscenities hurled at me for daring to turn left across the path of cyclists tens of metres behind me, been yelled at for opening my driver side door inappropriately (and, yes, I looked first to make sure it was safe), been almost bowled over at a pedestrian crossing by a cyclist running a red light, and, in one particularly memorable moment, had a cyclist hang on to my car at a red light and then flip me the bird as he took off ahead of me when red turned to green. And they have this annoying habit of changing their riding habits - one minute they'll use the road, then the footpath, then a pedestrian crossing, if it suits them. (Besides, on Sunday mornings, they crowd out all the best coffee joints.)
Whenever any of this happens I find myself thinking: how come I have to pay to share the road, but cyclists get off scot-free? And why can they break all these road rules anonymously? If it were a motorist I would at least be able to give police a registration number. If I failed to stop at a red light my picture would be taken and I'd be out $300 and three demerit points.
That's the root of the problem, isn't it? That motorists, motorcyclists, truck drivers and just about any other road user you care to name has to fork out hundreds of dollars each year for the right to use our roads, but cyclists are not required to spend a penny, or be identified. They don't even have to have any kind of licence or training or rider education. No matter what traffic engineers might try to tell us, experience teaches us that cars and bicycles do not go together well.
I have the same reservations about cyclists and pedestrians. Anyone who has ever tried to negotiate Southbank around 5pm on weekdays will know it's a dance with disaster, as homeward-bound pedallers flout speed restrictions.
All of which means the more separation the better, preferably more designated bike lanes. But where is the money going to come from to build them?
Hawaii has had a bicycle registration program since early last century and it doesn't seem to have dampened enthusiasm for cycling. According to the Honolulu mayor's office, the scheme was originally motivated by a desire to cut down on bicycle theft or, at least, aid recovery when it happens. Now it's put into a special bikeway fund used to pay for bike projects and programs.
The scheme is simple and is run out of the local equivalent of VicRoads, so there is no huge additional administrative cost. All bicycles with 20-inch wheels or larger have to be registered for a one-time fee of $15 and an additional $5 if the ownership is ever transferred.
The cyclist is given a unique numbered decal that is attached to the bicycle frame's seat tube. While Bicycle Network Victoria has no detailed figures on the number of bikes on our roads, a spokesman said more than 10 million new bikes had been sold in Australia over the past decade.
Victoria's share of that would probably be at least 2 million. Even if only half were subject to registration, that's a lot of money that could be going to cycling infrastructure and programs. These could include an advertising campaign aimed at educating motorists - and cyclists - about better road behaviour.
With that sort of money, they might even be able to afford someone prominent to front them. Shane Warne perhaps?
Bruce Guthrie is a former editor of The Age, The Sunday Age and Herald Sun.
Twitter: @brucerguthrie
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/riding-roughshod-20120204-1qyt6.html?rand=1328361912276
