The Government is currently receiving submissions on their new road safety strategy,
'Safer Journeys'. The Greens have focused their submission on walkers and cyclists, two of the most vulnerable road users. We're seeking your thoughts on our submission before we send it in. Send your feedback to: sophie [dot] belton [at] parliament [dot] govt [dot] nz.
Submissions close Friday, October 2, 2009. We encourage you to make your own. Send them to: saferjourneys [at] transport [dot] govt [dot] nz (saferjourneys [at] transport [dot] govt [dot] nz)
GREEN PARTY SUBMISSION:
Safer Journeys Discussion Document
Kevin Hague, MP, September 17, 2009
- 1. The Green Party endorses the Government's renewed efforts to improve road safety in New Zealand. Safer Journeys proposes a significant suite of recommendations for improved safety on our road network. We have a number of reservations and a number of recommendations for a way forward to which this submission will focus upon.
- 2. The Green Party supports lower driving speeds in urban areas as one of the highest safety priorities identified. Safer speeds are a high concern. Urban speed limits in particular should be reduced to 30 or 40 km/h zones accompanied by a lower tolerance for motor vehicle speed limit enforcement.
- 3. Levels of users' vulnerability should also be an important part of setting priorities. Pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable of road users and, in the case of cyclists, 70% of all cyclist injuries happen through no fault of theirs. Safer walking and cycling should therefore be elevated from an area of medium concern to an area of high concern.
- 4. The Greens also recommend the addition of a number of specific additional initiatives to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Specifically, we recommend:
a) Supporting BikeNZ's "1.5" initiative. We believe there needs to be specific new laws enacted to protect cyclists on our roads, providing them with a legal minimum of 1.5 meters of passing room from motorists;
b) Introducing clearer liability for crashes involving active modes of travel so that motorised vehicles involved are assumed responsible unless the pedestrian or cyclist has been reckless;
c) Implementing initiatives that encourage mode share shift away from private motor vehicle use, this includes improving public transport, greater funding for Travel Demand Management projects, and the promotion of greater participation rates in walking and cycling;
d) Changing funding and audit processes to make sure that all new roading projects cater for improved walking and cycling conditions. - 5. Walking and using public transport are two of the safest modes of travel currently available, while walking and cycling are two of the healthiest modes. Safer Journeys offers no encouragement for the uptake of safer, healthier modes of travel. The Greens believe current low levels of funding for walking, cycling and public transport undermine a commitment to actually provide safer, healthier modes of travel. Safer Journeys should include the aim of increasing funding for infrastructure for active modes of travel through an increase in the financial assistance (or FAR) rate.
- 6. Research undertaken for the NZTA, Valuing the health benefits of active transport modes, reinforces the fact that a modal shift to active transport does not cause an increase in traffic injuries because of the 'safety in number' effect. In other words, the risk to each pedestrian and cyclist drops as the number of users increases. Air pollution will also reduce if a modal shift occurs. The Greens support the recommendation of this report to increase the values of health benefits currently used in the Land Transport NZ Economic Evaluation Manual (EEM2) for pedestrians and cyclists by a factor of 11 and 13 times respectively to better reflect the health and safety benefits associated with these two modes of travel.
- 7. Finally, the proposed Safer Journeys vision is too narrow and unchallenging. The focus is heavily weighted towards vehicle safety and direct deaths and injuries caused by our road system.
- 8. It is now well established that as many people die as a result of pollution from road vehicles as are killed on our roads directly. In addition, greater reliance on cars as our primary means of transport is exacerbating our current obesity epidemic. A wider vision for road safety-one that incorporates indirect as well as direct casualties from transport-will also propose ways of reducing overall levels of vehicular traffic while simultaneously encouraging investment in more active modes of travel, like walking and cycling.
- 9. The vision for Safer Journeys should be expanded to:
a) Recognise the wider costs of unsafe roads, such as sedentary lifestyles and lack of independence for children;
b) Recognise the wider detrimental environmental impacts of private motor vehicle use, such as air pollution, CO2 emissions, and noise pollution, which affect the health and well being of
New Zealanders.
