In May 2024, the Victorian Parliament’s Legislative Assembly Economy and Infrastructure Committee tabled its report from its Inquiry into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users. 

This Inquiry focused on changes to road safety behaviours during and post the COVID19 pandemic and impacts on vulnerable road users – those least protected and most at risk on our roads including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, older people, children and people with disability.  

Why the focus on vulnerable road users? 

In 2023, vulnerable road users made up 36% of all lives lost on Victorian roads, and in 2022 they made up almost half (47%).  

The Committee’s report agreed that we need to do everything we can to work towards the Victorian Road Safety Strategy’s goal of zero road deaths by 2050.  

It also highlighted the urgency to protect vulnerable road users is growing as state and local government policies aim to encourage more Victorians to participate in active transport. 

The Committee urged the Victorian Government to adopt a road user hierarchy where road users who can do the most harm to others have a duty of care to reduce the danger they pose to road users more vulnerable than them. 

Submission highlights 

Costs of road trauma re too high and need to be addressed 

Many of the submissions made to the Inquiry agreed with Polar Infrastructure that the total costs of deaths and injuries of vulnerable road users including pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists are unsustainable.   

They were also concerned about other costs if you factor in other costs such as insurance industry pressures, staff shortages, productivity, wellbeing and other factors. 

There are local, lower life cycle cost solutions ready-to-go 

Polar Infrastructure also urged the adoption of local, innovative and more holistic road safety solutions that are real, ready-to-go and compliant with strict road safety standards.  

We also highlighted the flow-on benefits for small, medium and family businesses and Victoria’s economy and other benefits of adopting these local solutions to: 

• Improve road safety, reduce trauma and reduce stress  

• Reduce costs to the State and to Victorians, arising from property and injury crashes  

• Reduce forward maintenance commitments  

• Extend the life of existing and new assets and infrastructure across the road network, and   

• Provide environmental benefit through using post-consumer recycled glass currently heading to landfill.  

Doing more of the same is not viable 

Many submissions also agreed with Polar Infrastructure that doing more of the same will not assist Victoria move towards zero deaths and serious injuries on roads as per its stated goals.  

The system we have is not working and not making meaningful progress towards a target of zero deaths on roads by 2050.  

 Polar Infrastructure called for new, lower life cycle and local solutions to be embraced as they complement the principles of Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy, including:  

• People make mistakes  

• People have a limited tolerance to injuries, and  

• Safety is a shared responsibility.  

Data availability to Councils and others is not fit-for-purpose 

The Committee’s Report detailed several concerns about the timeliness and accessibility of data which we raised in our submission, along with the need for much better ’source of location’ specific injuryrelated crash data. 

Polar Infrastructure highlighted why such source of location data is critical as it helps Council engineers, community road safety groups, researchers and other groups to identify, investigate and treat locations where crashes are occurring. It also limits scrutiny of road safety measures and policies. 

Specific areas and solutions to focus on 

Polar Infrastructure provided detailed analysis and suggestions to the Committee, including: 

• Benefits of proven High Friction Surface Treatments on roads to prevent or minimise the impacts of crashes involving vulnerable road users. 

• The need for higher skid-resistant pavement markings that separate cars and other vehicles from other road users. 

• The need to focus on reducing the risk of slips and falls. 

• Benefits and solutions to increase the visibility of pedestrian crossings. 

• Increasing compliance and safety of traffic signals and addressing mobile phone and other distractions. 

• Benefits of active warnings for drivers with bicycle and e-scooter activated lights  

• Enhanced visibility linemarking on paths and roads.  

Polar Infrastructure is pleased that the Committee cited our analysis and submission in a number of places in their Report, and also that the Victorian Motorcycle Council and others shared are our view that as well as a focus on road maintenance and renewal, the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning could improve traction on major roads by treating dangerous road locations with High Friction Surface Treatments to improve motorcycle safety. 

More information 

If you would like more information on our submission and the Committee’s Report, please Contact Us and ask for Dave Jones, Polar Infrastructure’s External Affairs Director & Technical Advisor.