Siva joined a group of industry, government and community experts last week in Sydney to tackle the challenge of ensuring safer coexistence between trams and bike riders.
As the operator of Sydney Light Rail, Transdev runs an annual public safety forum which explores a different topic each year and creates a platform for diverse voices to improve safety on our shared roads and tramways.
Chief Executive Officer at Bicycle NSW Peter McLean spoke about the increasing popularity of riding with more than 1.2m bike users at least once a week in NSW and the safety outcomes already achieved with light rail.
“Light rail and cycles are part of our ongoing transport mix, which makes harmonisation between these modes so important,” Mr McLean said.
“George Street in the centre of the city is now one of the safest places, with the lowest safety incidences, is a fact to be celebrated.”
Transdev Sydney Light Rail General Manager Safety & Assurance Amanda Tarbotton emphasised the importance of collaboration and behavioural change in promoting safety.
“Mobile phones, noise cancelling headphones and the increasing number of delivery riders all introduce risks,” she said.
“This is a call to action, to collaborate and ideate, develop solutions which can prevent safety incidences before they happen.”
"Getting the right people in the room to drive meaningful, long-lasting outcomes on safety across the light rail network is something we’re building a strong and a positive reputation for."
A panel session featured Uber Australia’s Sarah Nader, Parramatta Bike Hub’s Charlene Bordley, City of Sydney’s Cycling Strategy Manager Fiona Campbell and Transdev’s Amanda Tarbotton.
The panel explored the intersecting needs of different stakeholders in a collaborative way from designing networks to daily network use.
Uber, Sarah Nader: “It’s important to remember that as much as bike paths are for commuters or recreational reasons, for delivery riders, this is their mode of transport and work and they need to be considered in the way we design or shape networks.”
City of Sydney, Fiona Campbell: “We’ve come leaps and bounds in the past few decades, with over 25km of bike paths in the city of Sydney now, a reflection both of our increased need and understanding.”
Parramatta Bike Hub, Charlene Bordley: “The key motivator for new riders or people thinking about riding, is safety.”
Sydney Light Rail Managing Director Arsene Durand-Raucher concluded the event by highlighting how our people and the broader community could drive change.
“Getting the right people in the room to drive meaningful, long-lasting outcomes on safety across the light rail network is something we’re building a strong and a positive reputation for,” Mr Durand-Raucher said.
“This year’s event continued to reinforce that reputation.”
