New ways to improve bike safety around heavy vehicles

Overview

Action 3.6 Investigate national and international best practice and innovations in heavy vehicle driver training and operation contextualised for Queensland, to inform improving the safety of cyclists around heavy vehicles.

Lead agency: Department of Transport and Main Roads

Status: Complete

Achievements

Better training and education of heavy vehicle road users can help to improve the safety of vulnerable road users around heavy vehicles.

Through extensive consultation with internal government and industry stakeholders, the Heavy Vehicle and Vulnerable Road Users Working Group investigated heavy vehicle driver training programs across Australia and internationally to determine what is being offered and options that might be utilised in Queensland.

This included encouraging industry to adopt hazard awareness and safety of other road users in existing training packages delivered to heavy vehicle operators. Improved industry practices were considered and, in some cases implemented, by a number of stakeholders.

For example, the Cross-River Rail Development Authority released tender documents that required contractors to specify how they would manage interactions between vulnerable road users and heavy vehicles, and what training their drivers receive.

We are also considering options through our commercial contract arrangements to encourage the adoption of safety features on heavy road construction vehicles as well as improved driver training.

The Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Group, which includes industry representatives, continues to promote the voluntary uptake of safety features on heavy vehicles, and the benefits of training through the working group.

These changes will go a long way towards improving the safety of vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, around heavy construction vehicles.