Road engineers from Baw Baw Shire Council, Victoria, have undertaken a unique, hands-on training course designed to raise their awareness of the needs of motorcyclists.
The unique course is designed to help the road design, engineering and maintenance crews see the road from a motorcyclists’ perspective.
The full-day course, delivered by Safe System Solutions Pty Ltd at Quality Motorcycle Training in Yallourn, consisted of two components: theory and practical.
In the first part of the course the engineers learned about the unique safety needs of motorcyclists and how to design and manage roads for motorcycle safety.
In the second part, they learned how to ride a motorcycle with a Gippsland based licensed motorcycle rider trainer.
Delivered by road engineers that are also licenced motorcycle riders, this course won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2017 for its innovative approach in addressing motorcycle safety.
Over the last five years the police have attended 317 motorcycle crashes on roads within Baw Baw Shire, including six fatalities and 126 serious injuries.
Improving road safety for motorcyclist is a key objective in Council’s Road Safety Strategy.
Council Chief Executive Officer, Alison Leighton, said, “At Baw Baw Shire Council we take road safety very seriously. We are committed to improving motorcycle safety through the delivery of a range of road safety initiatives, including road improvements.”
Coordinator Infrastructure Delivery, Ross Cheesewright, said, “The training provided a deeper understanding and appreciation for how motorcyclists use the road and how their needs differ to other road users such as car and truck drivers.
“We learned about the challenges and hazards that motorcyclists face that you just don’t fully appreciate until you get on a bike.
“Things like potholes, line markings and even leaves on the road affect motorcyclists in a very different way to other road users.
“We all found the training invaluable and we look forward to improving planning, delivery and maintenance of our road network for the safety and benefit of all road users.”
