‘Death trap’ Chapel St fresh battleground in renewed push for cyclist safe passing law

MELBOURNE’S ‘death trap’ for cyclists, Chapel St, has emerged as the battleground for a law change to make bike riding safer. Here’s how it’ll work.

CHAPEL Street has emerged as the key battleground in a push for a new law to make our roads safer for cyclists.

With a long history of bike accidents on the thoroughfare, cyclists want put into law a minimum margin that motorists must stick to when overtaking cyclists.

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Chapel St cyclists often ride too close to parked cars because therre is no safe passing law, lobbyists say..

They want a road rule requiring drivers to stay at least a metre from bikes they overtake, in 60km/h zones or less. The margin would be 1.5 metres when the speed limit is higher.

Victorian laws currently require drivers to give cyclists only “sufficient” distance when passing.

Toorak cyclist Boyd Fraser is among those lobbying for the new law, calling thoroughfares like Chapel St “death traps for cyclists”.

“It’s the most dangerous street in Melbourne for sure,” he said.

“Changing the law will encourage more people to cycle.”

Prahran Greens MP Sam Hibbins, whose party is backing a law change, said ensuring cycling was safe along Chapel St “is absolutely critical to maintain the vibrancy of the strip”.

“Chapel St is one of Melbourne’s most popular but dangerous cycling routes,” he said.

Boyd Fraser and Greens MP Sam Hibbins are pushing for a “safe passing” law to better protect cyclists. Picture: Andy Brownbill

“The government voted down our Bill to introduce a metre minimum passing distance and almost every state has mandated minimum passing distances for cyclists, apart from Victoria.”

It’s understood cyclists are tending to ride closer to parked cars due to their uncertainty over whether cars will leave enough space for them when passing, which in turn leads to a greater risk of “dooring”.

Dooring occurs when a cyclist is clipped by someone, usually the driver, opening the roadside door of a parked car.

It can lead to serious and sometimes fatal consequences for the cyclist.

In 2015, a 25-year-old cyclist was killed after being doored on Sydney Rd, Brunswick.

A mass bike ride was held in 2015 to commemorate a cyclist killed on Sydney Rd Brunswick in a dooring incident.

Stats compiled by the RACV in 2016 found Chapel St was the worst location for doorings, with nearly 10 per cent of all incidents in the state.

However, the RACV does not support a safe passing law. It does support an ongoing mass media and online campaign launched by the TAC in November which aims to educate riders and drivers about sharing the road safely.

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