freediver
Gold Member
Offline
www.ozpolitic.com
Posts: 47043
At my desk.
|
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Motor-scooters-a-menace-on-roads-survey/2007/07/18/1184559819774.html
As motorcycle and scooter sales soar, more than one third of NSW drivers say scooters are the "new menace" on Sydney roads.
Scooter sales for the six months to April were 20 per cent higher than the same period last year, while motorcycle sales enjoyed an even bigger jump - of 36 per cent - in the same period, insurance company AAMI says.
But it says motor scooters, usually with automatic transmission and simpler to ride, are still seen as a worse hazard than their more powerful two-wheeled counterparts on major city roads.
The research also showed 78 per cent of NSW car drivers in the survey said they had seen motorcyclists breaking the law and taking unnecessary risks on the roads.
"This isn't to say that car drivers are any safer or less erratic than motorcyclists, but it does suggest they need to be more vigilant and not take dangerous risks like ducking and weaving in and out of traffic," Ms O'Connor said.
"The unfortunate and often tragic reality is that the motorcycle or scooter rider will come off second best in an accident involving a car, regardless of who is at fault."
Mr O'Connor said a 2004 RTA study had shown in the event of a crash, motorcycle riders were 20 times more likely to be killed than drivers.
Cyclist dies after being hit by car
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Cyclist-dies-after-being-hit-by-car/2007/07/23/1185042980621.html
A cyclist has died after being hit by a car in Melbourne's south-east on Monday morning.
The cyclist and the city-bound car collided on the South Gippsland Highway at Dandenong about 5.40am (AEST), Victoria Police said.
Coroner recommends road cycling changes
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Coroner-recommends-road-cycling-changes/2007/07/26/1185339139615.html
A coroner has recommended closer monitoring of road cycling safety after a cyclist fatally struck an elderly pedestrian during one of Melbourne's notorious Hell Rides.
"Undisciplined large groups of cyclists like the Hell Ride need to be discouraged as they are a significant safety risk to the public as well as themselves," Mr Johnstone said.
Cyclist fine to be viewed as 'pathetic'
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Cyclist-fine-to-be-viewed-as-pathetic/2007/08/08/1186530418767.html
A cyclist who fatally hit a pedestrian during one of Melbourne's notorious Hell Rides has been fined $400, despite a magistrate admitting the penalty would be seen as "pathetic".
In sentencing, Mr Rozencwajg noted that Raisin-Shaw had been charged only with disobeying a traffic signal, not over Mr Gould's death.
Last month, coroner Graeme Johnstone called for research into the policing of cyclists following Mr Gould's death.
Woman cyclist dies in hit and run in Qld
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Woman-cyclist-dies-in-hit-and-run-in-Qld/2007/10/28/1193506334169.html
A cyclist has died in a hit and run in Bundaberg on the central Queensland coast.
Police say the 44-year-old woman was riding down Targo Street at about 7pm (AEST) on Saturday night when she was struck by a car and killed instantly.
They say the car, believed to be a green hatchback, stopped momentarily after the collision then quickly sped off.
Bike numbers on the rise in Australia
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Bike-numbers-on-the-rise-in-Australia/2007/11/16/1194766936273.html
Australians are getting on their bikes and scooters in greater numbers than ever before.
And the number of diesel cars has increased by almost 50 per cent to about 570,000 since 2003, the latest national motor vehicle census reveals.
The census, one of a series first conducted in 1921 but more regularly by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) since 1971, shows Australia has 14,774,921 assorted vehicles, a 12.2 per cent increase on the 2003 figure and 2.9 per cent more than last year.
Motor-cycle numbers soared past the half-million mark to 511,966 - up 35.9 per cent since 2003 and 10.6 per cent in the past year.
China puts brakes on bike thieves
http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/china-puts-brakes-on-bike-thieves/2007/12/03/1196530571215.html
China's capital, where four million bicycles are stolen a year, is clamping down on bike thieves before it hosts the Olympics, state media says.
China is home to a world-record 470 million bicycles, but theft is widespread.
Starting at the weekend, new bicycles must have identification numbers and buyers must register using their real names, the China Daily said.
"The registration of names, ID and phone numbers will make it easier for police to trace stolen bicycles and return them to their rightful owners," the newspaper said.
Around 4,000 people have been caught stealing bicycles this year in the capital Beijing.
Elderly man hit by 'blinded' cyclists
http://news.smh.com.au/elderly-man-hit-by-blinded-cyclists/20080128-1ojs.html
A 72-year-old Sydney man was knocked unconscious when a group of cyclists, who were blinded by the morning sun, slammed into him.
A NRMA Careflight spokesman said the man was walking along the verge of the M4 motorway, in Sydney's west, when the accident occurred about 6.30am (AEDT) on Monday.
|