"A 10km/h speed limit reduction adds an additional four seconds of
travel time to each kilometre, but using the section of Bruce Highway
between Cooroy and Curra (which received this type of treatment in late
2008) as an example a sustained 11km/h reduction in 85th percentile
speeds (Edgar and Tripathi 2011, p6) and a projected 16% reduction in
crashes compared to the previous five years average was achieved (Edgar
and Tripathi 2011, p7)."
In Australia, road authorities have historically set speed limits
according to criteria that include road function, road alignment,
prevailing traffic speeds and speed environment (covering roadside
development as well as road and traffic characteristics).
A traditional focus on balancing safety and efficiency when setting
speed limits is being challenged by a road safety perspective which
states that safety should be the key deciding factor in setting speed
limits.
Drivers react to many influences in choosing their speed and there is
constant need to post realistic and credible speed limits to help
achieve:
Voluntary compliance by the majority of motorists;
Effective regulation of traffic flow;
Reduced crashes; and
Optimal safety for vulnerable road users; while
Having due regard for the amenity of people living along our streets and roads.
International research into the tolerance limits of what the human body
can survive when involved in a crash with or in modern vehicles
(Tingvall and Lie 2008) supports speed limits being set lower in
instances where the road environment does not provide adequate
separation/protection from other road users, vehicles and roadside
hazards.
It is RACQ’s preference that roads be upgraded to provide a more
forgiving environment while maintaining mobility, rather than a blanket
lowering of speed limits on existing substandard infrastructure.
However in high risk locations where road improvements are unable to
occur in the short term, RACQ supports lowering of speed limits with
appropriate changes in the traffic environment (including increased use
of warning signs to highlight the change and the fact that the road is a
high risk link) to assist in reducing crash likelihood and severity.
A 10km/h speed limit reduction adds an additional four seconds of
travel time to each kilometre, but using the section of Bruce Highway
between Cooroy and Curra (which received this type of treatment in late
2008) as an example a sustained 11km/h reduction in 85th percentile
speeds (Edgar and Tripathi 2011, p6) and a projected 16% reduction in
crashes compared to the previous five years average was achieved (Edgar
and Tripathi 2011, p7).
All candidates with readily found email contacts were emailed this survey, including those candidates for the position of Mayor.
No candidates for the Mayor's position replied.
All the surveys that were opened and read/started have the responses appearing below.
Some candidates opened the survey but chose not to complete it.
One started it but didn't complete it.
Any name not appearing in the list of 19 below chose to ignore the survey.
It is up to each elector to make up their own mind who to vote for.
Good luck with your selections on 19 March 2016, TRC election day.
Later survey arrivals added: 11 March 2016 Dianne Warr Craig Stibbard Jim McEvoy - Mayoral candidate 15 March 2016 added: Tony Lake Bill Cahill Nancy Sommerfield
In 2015, TRC ran a Cycling Forum. A number of
significant issues were raised in the session, particularly the need for TRC to
consult more, and better, with local cyclers through the established
cycle-advocacy groups.
Q1: If elected to Council, will you support and
promote the Bicycle Advisory Committee model (see your cover letter and the url
links) to ensure a properly consultative approach is taken by Council towards
the cycling needs of the region?
Answers to Q1 - as they arrived into the survey instrument:
Anne Glasheen - Yes
Craig Commens - Yes Of course
Peter Pyke - Yes
Carolyn Cranch - Yes
Peter Marks - Yes, I always have in the past and will continue to do so.
Voelcker Sapalou - Yes. Most definately
Ben Apsey - I think this is a no brainer. supporting any mode of transport other
than cars is a good thing and is what Toowoomba needs. So Yes
Mike Williams - I have always advocated for a cycling advisory group which represents the full range of cycling enthusiasts
Murray Choat - Yes as a person who has been injured from a bike incidnet and one for
better road safety. I am keen to learn more and contribute.
Garry Humphries - Yes, I prefer the "Council Champion Option" for plugging the BAC
directly into senior management as the cycling issues often cross
Council Department boundaries and a Senior Officer is more likely to get
results than a relatively junior Support Officer.
Heather Woodcraft - As an enthusiastic hobby rider in our region I absolutely support all
and any advisory opportunities on this topic by riding groups.
Chris McGaw - Yes
Cos Marendy - Yes
Joe Ramia - Yes
Adrian Weatherall - Yes
Geoff McDonald - Have supported this in the past and will continue to in the future
Carol Taylor - No response
David Campbell - No response
Gerard O'Leary - No response
Jim McEvoy - Yes I certainly would
Dianne Warr - Yes
Craig Stibbard - Yes
Tony Lake - Yes Bill Cahill - Yes Nancy Sommerfield - I believe for effective outcomes, an appropriate representative should be on the Transport Committee which wasn't the case
2.
The 2015 TRC Cycle Forum responses showed that high
urban road speed was an issue of concern to participants. It is a well
researched fact that reducing urban road speeds is the simplest act that can be
taken to reduce crashes and reduce the severity of crashes.
When hit by a vehicle at:
60 kph, 9 in10 cyclers/pedestrians will die
50 kph 5 in 10 cyclers/pedestrians will die
30 kph 1 in 10 cyclers/pedestrians will die
Q2: If elected to Council will you support and promote an 'urban speed review'
across all towns in the TRC area, with a view to establishing 'safer community
speeds' (see article url in your covering letter) and eliminating the 60 kph
speed zones within city/town limits on Council controlled roads, as has
happened successfully in NSW?
Anne Glasheen - Yes
Craig Commens - Yes
Peter Pyke - Yes
Carolyn Cranch - Yes
Peter Marks - I will. I think this is very important. I do believe the CBD should be
reduced to 40 kph. I will be advocating for this to happen. Outside
the CBD but within city limits roads should be 50kph in built up areas.
Voelcker Sapalou - I will support an urban speed review
Ben Apsey - I would not support a lowering of speeds. I would rather have the
cycling lanes made separate from the roads as is done in many European
Cities such as Paris. Lowering the speed, while reducing chance of death
also means longer commutes for people using cars, taxis and busses.
Mike Williams - I support slower urban speeds where appropriate, as is starting to happen in toowoomba streets.
Murray Choat - Yes I am keen to work will all stakeholders
Garry Humphries - My career as a Sport & Rec Officer has been focused on better urban
design to promote more physical activity and better social connection in
communities. I regularly ride my young 6 Year Old to school and it is
the best father and son bonding time we have but from professional
training and personal experience I know that one solution does not fit
all circumstances, so I would support a review but recommended speed
changes have to suite the local conditions because I have found that
sometimes, drivers frustrated by speed limits become more dangerous not
less dangerous. So my solution would look more at the full range of
options that give cyclists of varying skill levels options in their
route selection which may include reduced speed, or one way streets,
better use of laneways, dedicated cycle path options or even cycle
exclusion zones. I want to keep everyone safe, cyclists, baby strollers,
dog walkers and motor vehicle users. If we were building a town from
scratch then a blanket rule would work but as we are retrofitting a city
much of which as designed to varying standards over the past 100+ years
we have to be creative in our solutions.
Heather Woodcraft - I look forward to working towards creating a safer road environment for
all users if elected and reducing the speed linit seems to be a logical
and easily implemented aspect of this pursuit
Chris McGaw - Yes
Cos Marendy - No
Joe Ramia - Yes
Adrian Weatherall - Yes
Geoff McDonald - Have already advocated for this not necessarily for the sole benefit of cyclists.
Carol Taylor - No response
David Campbell - No response
Gerard O'Leary - No response
Jim McEvoy - Yes
Dianne Warr - Yes
Craig Stibbard - Yes
Tony Lake - No Bill Cahill - suject to broader community consultation
Nancy Sommerfield - No
3.
The TRC 'Sustainable Transport Strategy', endorsed
in 2015 (see the url link in your covering letter), shows walking has 7% of the
modal share of transport (Household Travel Suvey 2011), Cycling has 1%, Public
Transport has 2% and Car has 90%.
TRC has set targets for 2031 to lift Cycling to 3%,
and for 2100 (85 years ahead of the year the councillors endorsed it), at 6%,
while Cars still retain 70% of the modal share after 85 years of a 'sustainable
transport' policy in action.
Councillors endorsed a five year review cycle for
this Strategy.
The endorsed targets are not linked to the Qld
Cycle Strategy.
The endorsed targets are conservative when compared
to the UK experience, where, between 2005 and 2009, under the Cycling
Demonstration Town program involving six moderate sized towns, the overall
increase in the rate of cycling was 27%.
Q3: If elected to Council will you support and
promote a review of the Sustainable Transport Strategy commencing in 2016 with
the aim of lifting modal share targets for pedestrians and cyclists to a more
realistic level than is currently set, and reducing the review period from
every 5 years to annually?
Anne Glasheen - Yes
Craig Commens - Yes
Peter Pyke - Yes
Carolyn Cranch - Yes
Peter Marks - Yes, I am happy to consider a review of this situation to ensure a satisfactory outcome for all.
Voelcker Sapalou -No response
Ben Apsey - If it was tabled yes. I am yet to see how it was able to be called a
'sustainable transport strategy'. I firmly believe the more people we
can get into using active or public transport, the better this region is
going to be into the future. I personally have been pushing for a light
rail network ass I believe it could be designed in a way that
encourages mixed mode transport usage.
Mike Williams - A document does not deliver the result, it is action and no, that would be a waste of resources with little outcome.
Murray Choat - Yes
Garry Humphries - Comparing the UK, where most urban centers were 'laid out' at a time in
history when walking was the predominate form of transport to Australian
towns which were laid out when horse & cart then Cars were the
predominate form of transport can give some false indicators. Having
said that I believe that most strategies benefit from annual review as
long as the review is cost effective, after all the likely changes on an
annual basis will be small so a review must be cost effective. What we
are trying to achieve here is mass cultural change and other mass
cultural changes led y government such as "Compulsory seat belts" took a
decade or "Reducing Smoking" is ongoing but only saw positive impacts
after 2 decades so Long Term goals measured in decades are not
unreasonable. It will take sometime to reduce our reliance on cars as a
primary form of travel but I believe that technology may do much of this
work for us because as Driverless Cars start to become commonplace over
the next 2 decades I think we will see a marked reduction in private
ownership of cars and more use of communal 'car pools' that arrive at
your door when needed thus our societal default setting of "lets take
the car" will decline simply because the car suffers from the "out of
sight therefore, out of mind" inclination that people have and cycling,
walking and other forms of wheeled travel will grow exponentially.
Heather Woodcraft - I believe that development within our cities will, and should, become
much more focused on walking and cycling rather than cars. There are
many reasons for this including fuel and pollution concerns, space
restrictions and better health awareness. With this in mind i feel that
these targets are incredably low and dismissive of the common sway of
opinions in larger cities around the world. Annual reviews would be a
beneficial aspect of this future planning with council
Chris McGaw - Yes
Cos Marendy - Yes
Joe Ramia - Yes
Adrian Weatherall - Yes
Geoff McDonald - Happy to review the targets but an annual review would not only be
costly if done to the extent it should but may also not be realistic. A
review every 2 to 3 years I could support.
Carol Taylor - No response
David Campbell - No response
Gerard O'Leary - No response
Jim McEvoy - No response
Dianne Warr - Without being a current Councillor I would need to fully read all correspondence for and against before making any decisions.
Craig Stibbard - Yes
Tony Lake - Yes Bill Cahill - I would support a review as soon as possible Nancy Sommerfield - Would be interested in doing a review, think we need to be careful in how far out we do predictions also
4.
In other parts of the Western world riding a
bicycle is a major form of transport and is regarded as being as unremarkable
as vacuuming the floor, or washing the car is here.
Children happily cycle to their schools, male and
female employees ride to work, older men and women are adopting electric
bicycles to get around on, cycling tourists happily visit and spend their money
supporting the local and national economies.
This approach must be part of the future of
Toowoomba city and the broader region but this will require imagination,
planning, budgets and commitment from our Council and individual Councillors.
Q4: Will you commit to being a 'cycle planning and infrastructure' advocate for
the region?
Anne
Glasheen - Yes
Craig Commens - Yes
Peter
Pyke - Yes. I actually often ride a bicycle...
Carolyn
Cranch - Yes
Peter
Marks - This is an ideal way of life and would be happy to support this in our region.
Voelcker
Sapalou - No response
Ben Apsey
-As a town planner, I will commit to pushing for not just cycling
infrastructure but all forms of active an oublic transport
infrastructure. I f that means a drive to see the transport minister, I
am prepared to do that to give the people of this region the active and
public transport infrastructure that they as tax payers deserve.
Mike
Williams -it is a culture change that is required. Council has 36 end of trip
spaces in the new library and have required that QIC invest in their new
building. This is the type of change needed.
Murray
Choat - Yes I will
Garry Humphries - Yes I will commit to this but would like to extend the advocacy to
include trails as well. Our National obsession with Paved Roads as the
only viable route to our destination is a never ending cycle of "Build
Road" - "Maintain Road" and then leave no money for anything else. In
many European towns the shortest distance between to locations is not a
vehicular road but a pathway or trail left over from a time when cars
did not rule our transport thinking. Sure we must use roads for cycling
but pathways and trails are generally more aesthetic and safer for all
and being cheaper we can build and maintain more of them.
Heather
Woodcraft -As stated in my previous answers, i enjoy riding around Toowoomba
currently and am excited about the shift to a more pedestrian and bike
friendly city plan in the future. If elected I hope to be a part of
begining that journey in the next four years
Chris
McGaw - Yes
Cos
Marendy - Yes
Joe Ramia
- yes providing someone can assure kids are safe on bikes from prediitors
Adrian
Weatherall -Yes. I relied heavily on bike travel before I was licenced to drive.
Geoff
McDonald - Yes and already am
Carol Taylor - No response
David Campbell - No response
Gerard O'Leary - No response
Jim McEvoy - No response
Dianne Warr - Yes
Craig Stibbard - Yes
Tony Lake - Yes Bill
Cahill - I will not committ myself to any single issue ahead of striving to
advocate for all competing priorities and interests in an unbiased
manner as I have done so in the past. Nancy Sommerfield - Agree. This is similar to the view that 'one must be able to park
outside the shop once wants to go to' and takes time to change
mentality.
5.
In Victoria and NSW (and in NZ) the advent of the
Rail Trail form of tourism has brought fresh life to many small country towns
and villages.
The old railways in this region that are not owned
by landholders where they cross their land, are not owned by TRC but by the
state government.
To promote Cycle Tourism in this region it would be
good to have a range of experiences for visitors (and locals) here and the Rail
Trail concept is one attractive element TRC could consider working wth the
state government and landholders to develop (https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/general/policy-and-campaigns/2805/).
Q5: Are you prepared to commit to ensuring TRC creates a Regional Cycle Tourism
Strategy within the 2016- 2020 period that includes the Rail Trail concept, and
other on and off road cycle experiences?
Anne
Glasheen - Yes
Craig
Commens - Yes
Peter
Pyke - Yes. A no-brainer. Tourism. Tick.
Carolyn
Cranch - Yes
Peter
Marks - I am more than happy to consider a Strategy but within the Strategy,
timelines, budget requirements, ratepayers dollars and usage by the
community will all need to be taken into consideration. I have always
maintaned that we must have strategy before structure to implement
anything correctly.
Voelcker
Sapalou - No response
Ben Apsey
-I would much rather the rail corridores that still exist be re built for
their intended purpose, rail transport, given the population growth we
are set to experience. that is not to say that those corridores couldn't
be used for a cycle trail in the mean time and then along side a light
rail line.
Mike
Williams -A trails forum has run cross the region this week to identify and
promote opportunity. Council is keen to develope and promote more
opportunity.
Murray
Choat - Yes I am in favour for these
Garry Humphries - I am proud to have helped establish the National Trail from Cooktown to
Melbourne in the 1980's and have long been an advocate for the
completion of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. I would welcome the chance
to maximise the benefits to the region from the huge growth of cycling
in recent years. Events such as the Tour Of Toowoomba which I have
assisted since its inception and our unique and world class down hill
mountain bike courses and the 'altitude' competition and training appeal
of the Crit Track near the show grounds, a facility I also had a minor
role in developing, are just the 'tip' of the Cycle Tourism market for
the region.
Heather
Woodcraft - One of my major concerns for TRC over the next four years is to increase
our local tourism industry and showcase our whole region. This model of
Rail Trail is a wonderful example of one way to do that and lobbying
our State Government for support is a necessary part of that. Cycle
tourism is a fantastic growth area that we would be foolish to ignore
and a proper strategy with appropriate consultation will ensure that
council develop this to its full potential
Chris
McGaw - Yes
Cos
Marendy - Yes
Joe Ramia
- Yes
Adrian
Weatherall - Yes. They've done the same in many parts of Tasmania.
Geoff
McDonald - Cycling in its various forms is mentioned in our tourism strategy and I
dead is forming a rather large part of our trails consultation at the
moment.
Carol
Taylor - No response
David
Campbell - No Response
Gerard
O'Leary - No response
Jim McEvoy - No response
Dianne Warr - In Council if elected I would still only be one voice. Decisions like
this need time to reserach what would be required from all parties to
make this possible in the short term.
Craig Stibbard - Yes
Tony Lake - Yes Bill
Cahill - Happy to look at a straegy in order of the priorities according to the
recent tourism study comissioned by council and how there might be some
value add by including this Nancy Sommerfield - We are already working on that at Yarraman, and currently doing trail workshops across the region for that very purpose.
Q6. How do you propose to promote the 'Active
Transport' concept in this region if you are elected?
Anne
Glasheen - Firstly research the proposal, community engagement, then incorporating the results in our planning regs.
Craig
Commens - I use any method I can to get my message across. Different things work
for different groups and people. One size doesn't fit all, so a broad
approach needs to be taken.
Peter
Pyke - Via consultation and participation.
Talking with, not talking at.
Carolyn
Cranch - Allocate clear bike lanes and reduce speed zones so bike riders and
automobile drivers all feel more comfortable sharing the roads.
Peter
Marks - By answering the before questions as I have, it shows I support this
concept and I look forward to addressing this issue when it comes before
Council.
Voelcker
Sapalou - No response
Ben Apsey
-This is where I would need your help. I am only one person and can't do
it alone or change things overnight. I can say I would be interested in
the BAC and how that encourages a change in the mindset of people
wanting to use cars to active transport. Please check out my website
benapsey.com to read more about me and what my vision for the future of
this region is.
Mike
Williams -Cycling is evolving in Toowoomba. More people are using it as a
recreation, however some of those will choose to also commute if we
provide the facilities and road infrastructure to make them feel safe.
Murray
Choat - Work with all levels of Government and TBUG and those stakeholders and
the broader community to develop a strategy that will impact the safety
and pleasure for bike riders and commuters . Council also needs to
step outside the shire to look at other Councils Transport &
Drainage Branch's and what they have done and is successful.
Garry Humphries - By being an advocate, learning more lessons from the significant body of
work already done in communities around the world and continuing the
dedication I have already given to developing Cycle Tourism and Trails
development in the Region and most importantly to continue riding with
my son to school.
Heather
Woodcraft - I am particularly interested in linking the bike paths throughout the
city to make for easy, safe access routes to different business and
leisure hubs, as well as developing more trails and paths to the
surrounding townships to encourage people to explore our region and be
more active. Better bike parking and lanes would also be beneficial. I
am ofcourse interested in any other suggestions from those that bike
much more regularly than myself!
Chris
McGaw - By engaging community groups and seeking input from groups such as
yours. By taking advantage of State and Federal funding and incentives.
Cos
Marendy - Education and awareness are key.
Most residents do not understand cyclists
Joe Ramia
- with the help and a big input from the users of bikes.i
Adrian
Weatherall - Meet with cyclists and gauge their ideas and find a way to promote their
ideas. Motorists and cyclists have to share the road. At the moment,
that appears to not be happening. We have to come together and set some
realistic goals and work together to implement change. I myself would
not be opposed to using a bike while on council business.
Geoff
McDonald - We need to ensure people feel safe if having to co-share paths or roadways. Promote wherever achievable separated routes.
Signage through way finding maps is important and all part of encouraging more active transport.
The new Library provides end of trip facilities for those using active transport and this needs promoting for CBD workers.
Carol
Taylor - No response
David
Campbell - No Response
Gerard
O'Leary - No response Jim McEvoy - No response
Dianne Warr - We need to invite all persons of interest to attend a forum. Who better
to share ideas with on this topic, great ideas and concepts can form and
grow if people have passion and willing to be involved.
Community consultation
Community awareness
Community collaboration
Work together for a mutual and positive outcome.
Craig Stibbard - I will listen to the concepts bought forward and I am always an advocate for new ideas involving the future of this region.
Tony Lake - By consultation with relevant authorities and the public Bill
Cahill - I will be endeavouring to push for reviews of the planning scheme where I believe most issues originate. This is one of many Nancy Sommerfield - Through fitness mainly and utilising the current cycling groups to
extend engagement and encouragement. We have put quite a number of
cycle parks under the new library, plus lockers and showers which gives
an idea of where council is heading.
7.
The current daily modal share of transport that
Public Transport has is 2%, while Cars enjoy a 90% share.
The Council is not responsible for the bus services
here but it could be responsible for providing strong leadership to improve our
bus services, freeing up the roads and encouraging a greater use of cycling and
walking.
Q7: Will you commit to being a public transport
advocate for the region and what might your actions involve?
Anne
Glasheen - State Government is reviewing our public transport system in the second half of this year
Craig
Commens - Yes, I would encourage private companies to improve bus services, If
council has to modify some rules etc for that to happen, I would be
fully supportive of that.
Peter
Pyke - Yes. Absolutely. Another no-brainer. Like Joke Hockey said, some people don't have cars. Or want one.
Carolyn
Cranch - No
Peter
Marks - I am more than happy to advocate this, as this was one of my main
concerns during my previous term on Council but sadly never came to
fruition. I have no doubt that the majority of the ratepayers would
welcome some of their money going towards a successful public transport
system.
Voelcker
Sapalou - No response
Ben Apsey
-I believe I have answered this previously. The simple answer is yes. I
personally love rail transport. So much so that I submitted a light rail
proposal to state and local gov in April 2014. To which I was told
'Toowoomba doesn't have the population'. I replied 'yet'. We don't have
it yet but we have the chance to strategically plan for the future of
the regions transport infrastructure now so that when the time comes,
which I believe isn't too far away, that demand is sustainable enough
the network can be rolled out in stages. Build it and they will come is
the planning term for this. We as a region deserve to have our taxes
spent on efficient and reliable public transport infrastructure. If that
is not being done, our state government is not doing its job properly.
Mike
Williams -Council continues to lobby Bus QLD to improve timetables and route
allocation however this group seem to be reluctant to respond to the
negotiations so far. Increased bus usage is dependant on the density of
urban living and to this end council is encouraging development around
service nodes in the city.
Murray
Choat - Yes this is an old issue that need urgent attention as I am getting many emails and questions on the subject.
Garry Humphries - The only short term solution to our cultural obsession with the car is
public transport. I only occasionally use buses simply because they
don't often 'sync' with a busy lifestyle. I think the solution is better
partnering with bus providers to offer more frequent, smaller buses in a
"Hail & Ride" format to complement our existing bus stops. I
applaud Councils initiative to subsidise taxi travel for weekly shopping
trips for our older residents but am also not averse to exploring the
feasibility of light rail down the existing inner city rail corridor.
All these solutions require better connection with State and Federal
authorities and my experience in working with State and Federal agencies
will be helpful in these endeavors.
Heather
Woodcraft - I thoroughly endorse the use of public transport however the practical
implementation of a region wide, or even just city wide, public
transport system has not been successful in Toowoomba and I am wary of
promising that which might not have a happy answer. Also i feel that the
culture of public transport use that is so ingrained in other cities
will take to develop here and may not be acheivable in one council term.
Chris
McGaw - Yes by working with the State and providing more dedicated bike and walking paths.
Cos
Marendy - Most certainly. Education and awareness, better town planning, incentives for public transport vendors and users
Joe Ramia
- as long as Qld gov own the entity and not a burden to the rate payer
Be a strong advocate to ensure seething happens.
Adrian
Weatherall - Yes I will commit. Toowoombas public transport seems to be in dissaray.
We need to get cars out of the cbd, especially Ruthven St.
Geoff
McDonald - Yes
Encourage the preservation and identification for light rail passenger service which is possible only a year or so away.
Advocate the state government to acknowledge the lack of regular public transport provision .
Carol
Taylor - No response
David
Campbell - No Response
Gerard
O'Leary - No response
Jim McEvoy - No response
Dianne Warr -Support lobbying state giv to improve public transport not just in the
city but look for opportunites to include our rural residents.
A public transport review needs to be done asap. Our needs are
currently not being met.
Craig Stibbard - I do believe there need to be changes with the transport in the region.
Public consultation needs to take place. Input from the community is
important with this issue. Target the state government as it is not
fully a local government issue.
Tony Lake - Yes - reviewing all reports and recommendations on their own merits. Bill
Cahill - I will continue to push for reviews of the planning scheme. In order for
the public transport nodes to become more obvious sooner. Nancy Sommerfield - Public Transport is a a difficult one. You can't run empty buses around
and you can't make people use them. Our population doesn't yet justify a
good public transport system. I think the novelty of a light rail from
Uni to town will provide a natural transition to public transport take
up. If you catch a bus to work and have to slip out to pick up a sick
child, go to an appointment away from your work you are stranded...it's
not simple but we are definitely moving in that direction.
8.
As Council (and Transport and Main Roads) provides
more bike lanes there is a responsibility to also provide education to all road
users on how to continue to cohabit on our roads.
This is not being done, by either TMR or TRC,
causing confusion as cyclers expect motorists to understand the road rules,
even as they change.
Good design is vital, as are clear road markings.
Unfortunately, within Toowoomba there are old road
markings that need to be scrubbed off the road surface and new, properly
positioned, markings put down.
There are places where 'transition paint' (see
those green painted lanes at Settlers Inn, Ruthven-Alderley Sts, Margaret and
Hume St) needs to be placed to provide a better chance of alerting motorists to
the presence of cyclers.
Council has so far been reluctant to follow the
practice of the more 'cycle aware' councils and accept that 'transition paint'
is a legitimate contribution to road safety, when applied correctly, and has
declined consistent requests for a modest application of this treatment where
cyclers have experienced repeated problems.
Q8: Do you support a review of road markings and
signage in the region with the aim of increasing road safety by acknowledging
the legitimate presence of cyclers on the road through better markings and
signage?
Anne
Glasheen - Yes
Craig
Commens - Yes
Peter
Pyke - Yes. Road safety. Why hasn't Council run a CEP on roundabouts?
Carolyn
Cranch - Yes
Peter
Marks - Yes I certainly do
Voelcker
Sapalou - No response
Ben Apsey
-A friend of mine actually mentioned to me just recently that he hates
cycling in the Toowoombba region as he feels unsafe in a bike lane. I
mentioned what other countries do by giving cyclist their own 'road'
section separated by trees or median strips. I think a review of how we
in Toowoomba design roads and cycle ways is needed. I would support a
review of these marking as a start but would much prefer attention be
placed on re-thinking how they are designed in the first place. I
understand TRC is currently developing a cycle route network, of which
one runs along my street, so to be part of moving this along will be
good for all if it is designed correctly.
Mike
Williams -The challange is to ensure that the guidlines for road signage are up to
date and relevant. The example used is TMR controlled and they are
inlikely to change unless it meets the rule book.
Murray
Choat - Yes Council needs to leave the area and look at other Council road markings to get real with the times.
Garry Humphries - I support any reasonable option that will allow safer use of
carriageways by all users but would need to educate myself better on the
matter of "transition paint". I also believe that we need better cycle
training for our younger cyclists and as a long time committee member
of PCYC, which runs the safe cycle courses for kids I believe that safer
signage and road treatments combined with better child training can
make the roads safer for cyclist of all skill levels.
Heather
Woodcraft - Yes, the safety of all residents should be one of councils main
priorities. Systems that do not protect a community within the region
must be updated in accordance with the best practice guidelines as
appropriate
Chris
McGaw - Yes
Cos
Marendy - Yes
Joe Ramia
- this programme needs to be driven by main roads with council help and input.
Adrian
Weatherall - Yes I do. I was under the impression the lanes near the Settlers inn and
Ruthven St were satisfactory and thought Toowoomba could use more lanes
like it. As I said, consultation would be needed to establish what
actions need to be taken to keep cyclists safe and to better educate
drivers.
Geoff
McDonald -Yes
Carol
Taylor - No response
David
Campbell - No Response
Gerard
O'Leary - No response
Jim McEvoy - No response
Dianne Warr -I support education and more awareness. Whilst I beleive everyone has
the right to share the roads new markings on the road etc are confusing
for many. Thats why I believe more funds should be allocated to these
new rules and conditions.
Craig Stibbard - I do. A safer option for all.
Tony Lake - Yes Bill
Cahill - Yes Nancy Sommerfield - We can review that but we also need to consider the cost, not just of
putting the markings down or adding signage, but then maintaining them.
Would cyclists be prepared to pay a registration to cover these costs?
Do cyclists do any inhouse education for their groups to ensure they
follow the rules? We want everyone to keep safe on the roads and
everyone needs to be educated, including the cyclists. I feel the
wording in this survey is all about what is best for cyclists, not what
is best for all road users.
