Fred Hansen delivered his Thinkers in Residence report on growing vibrant communites through transport this year and we think his report and videos should be viewed widely. The Bicycle Institute was pleased to be able to assist Fred on bicycle matters and help him during his time here. Of course Portland Oregon where he resides is further along the path of increasing pedestrians/cycling as a transport alternative as well as trams than Adelaide and we have much to learn as a city. Please enjoy Fred's final lecture and report and the many lessons we can learn from Portland as well as the other cities who are changing the way they do things to make their cities more exciting and liveable places for people.

http://www.thinkers.sa.gov.au/Thinkers/Hansen/p319.aspx - Other videos from Fred

http://www.thinkers.sa.gov.au/Thinkers/Hansen/report.aspx - Fred's final report

Freds Recommendations for cycling

My recommendations cover seven areas; the Premier and the Minister for

Transport should require the incorporation of these recommendations into the

new Transportation Master Plan recommended previously.

• A new commitment must be made to continue to increase the kilometres of bike

paths.

• A requirement should be put in place (similar to what is recommended for pedestrian

infrastructure previous) that no transportation infrastructure investment should be

made without a corresponding investment in bike infrastructure in the same corridor

or area.

• Current bike lanes should be retrofitted to make them wider – generally the

international recommended width is no less than 1.5 metres of smooth ride, not

including gutters.

• Obstacles in bike lanes need to be removed or modified to make them safe for

bicycling. This is particularly true with such things as storm drains that can trap a

bicycle tyre.

• Vehicles turning across bike lanes make for one of the most dangerous settings for

bike riders. More bike boxes should be created, such as one recently installed at the

west end of Rundle Street, adjacent to the Rundle Mall ‘scramble’ crossing.

• Australian Road Rules make it illegal to drive in an operating bike lane. As a driver

you may, however, cross a bicycle lane to enter or leave the road. When doing so

under Australian Road Rules a driver may not be in a bike lane for more than 50

metres. In my view this is allowing a vehicle to intrude into a bike lane for far too

great a distance. The greater Adelaide region should change this requirement to ‘the

minimum distance to safely make the entry or exit’. It should be prohibited to drive in

the bike lane merely to get around traffic congestion. And parking, even temporary

or short term, should be prohibited outright. Similar to what faces pedestrians, even

the best of requirements have little meaning if they are not aggressively enforced.

• Trials should be initiated to adapt some of the best practices from around the globe

to make bike travel a true transportation mode. On the busiest of streets a trial

bike lane protected from vehicle traffic by a parking lane would be an ideal place

to begin. I am fully aware of what is perceived as a failure of such a lane on Sturt

Street. What is important to recognise is that the idea was a good one but its lack

of all stakeholder involvement as well as its premature finish is what doomed it,

not the value of the concept.

Adelaide has the opportunity to become one of the most bike friendly areas in the world.

But for the novice or beginning bike commuter, a safer environment must be created.

A fundamental axiom is that a pedestrian-friendly environment is a bike-friendly

environment. As a result, with these recommendations along with the recommendations

regarding pedestrians, the biking experience will greatly improve.