How far do speedlimits need to be reduced to protect pedestrians?

[Silver Ghia]

This article in todays Herald Sun on the second page:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/mor...-1226234455223

More elderly pedestrians lose their lives on our roads by: Amelia Harris

SPEED limits could be reduced after an increase in the number of pedestrian fatalities, the TAC says.
Fifty pedestrians were killed in 2011, almost a third more than in 2010.

Elderly pedestrian deaths represented a worrying trend and the biggest increase by age group (86 per cent), with 13 people older than 80 killed.

Police said pedestrians were at fault in most cases.

In 2011, 288 people were killed on Victorian roads, equalling 2010's record low.

Deaths deemed intentional, or due to natural causes such as heart attack, might be removed from the total when the road fatality review board meets later this month.

If deaths are taken off the 2011 provisional toll, it will be the first time a record low has been achieved four years' running.

TAC spokesman John Thompson said while mobile phones and iPods continued to distract drivers, the speed limit also contributed to the toll.

"We have seen reductions around schools and around high activity zones, maybe that's another solution," he said.

"It's not Victoria Police's role to provide common sense to people when you're crossing the road, to say, 'Don't look at your mobile phone, make sure you can hear the road'.

"It's probably not a campaign's job to do that either, so maybe we have to look at the speed limit setting of our roads."


Deputy Commissioner for road policing Kieran Walshe predicted more campaigns would be directed at pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

"A lot of people would probably (say) that it's an unnecessary use of police resources but when you see (the number of pedestrians who die and are injured) we've got to really focus on that," he said.

The provisional 2011 results show:

THERE were 288 deaths.

DEATHS in Melbourne increased slightly, up 4 per cent to 131. Fatalities in regional Victoria fell slightly, down 3 per cent to 157.

MEN represented 74 per cent of people killed;

MOTORCYCLIST deaths fell by one to 48.

Mr Walshe said it was a relief last year's toll finished similar to 2010 after 51 died in October and November.

"But it doesn't matter what the toll number is, 288 is just far, far too many people," Mr Walshe said.
He said police were confident they could achieve their target of 237 deaths by 2017, meaning nine fatalities a year would need to be taken off the toll over the next five years.

PEDESTRIAN DEATHS IN 2011

Men 32, Women 18
Six were under 18 (12 per cent of pedestrian deaths)
20 were aged 30 to 59 (40 per cent of pedestrian deaths)
Elderly pedestrians had biggest increase (86 per cent): 13 people aged over 80 killed
Pedestrians at fault in 33 of 50 fatalities
Source: Victoria Police

HOW THE ROAD TOLL HAS FALLEN

2011 288*
2010 288
2009 290
2008 303
2007 332
2006 337
2005 346
2004 343
2003 330
2002 397
2001 444
* Provisional total

Then on page 6 a sad story about a 5 year old being run over by a car doing only 10kph in a caravan park.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/mor...-1226234451846

No indication from the Deputy Commissioner of Police Walshe of what could be a satisfactory road toll. Maybe zero, only when all vehicles (motorbikes, cars, trucks) are banned completely from the roads, and everyone stayed at home.

[Nikked]

how many pedestrians that were killed used crossings?

My guess is >50%

[dylby1]

Heres a better thought.
Why don't pedestrians grow a *** brain before they cross the road

[XRGhia]

Easy solution - The road is for cars, not for pedestrians to walk on...

[Pub247]

Thats blatant media rubbish even police said pedestrians are at fault in most cases.

As for old people doesnt suprise me they seem ignorant of the world around them and that everyone should move otu of their way. In cars they are exactly the same they drive in their own like there is no-one else on the road.

It reminds me of that TAC ad where that stupid woman walks out on the road to get hit by the silver au?? FFS she doesnt even look when she steps out onto the road IMO she deserves to be run down by a car.

[2011G6E]

Two elderly fatalities in Rockhampton over the last year or two spring to mind...one was outside a club where the old guy had been celebrating his birthday with family, and they hastily crossed the road in a darkish spot nowhere near a crossing. He was hit and killed. The other was someone crossing near the big Stocklands shopping center, where a major four lane divided highway runs. There's no crossing, but people used to wander across, popping out from the bushes nearly in front of you. Now the council has built an expensive panel fence along the length of the island down the center of the road, but people are apparently still pushing panels out to cross there...

Make cars go as slow as you like around schools a school times and no one will complain as it's an eminently sensible idea, but on busy roads away from pedestrian crossings, anything can happen and shouldn't be blamed on the cars when someone decides to play Russian roulette with heavy traffic.

The rot started to set in some years back when that woman on the Sunshine Coast was prosecuted (don't recall the outcome) for hitting and injuring a drunk outside a club who was leaning against a post, and suddenly staggered out in front of her so close in front of her car that she literally had no reaction time to stop or swerve. Authorities said to drivers that they "should expect" drunks to wander out around clubs and pubs and to keep a close eye out for them and, basically, whatever happened was completely the car drivers fault.

Yes, the road tollis the lowest for decades...especially if you use statistics and show it as a per-driver-on-the-road number. Anyone with a memory of more than five minutes will remember the popular advertising campaign in Queensland of many years back saying "Stay Alive - Beat 515", when the previous years road toll in the state had been 515. With tens of thousands of new drivers on the road each year, drivers should be congratulated on keeping the toll as low as it is.

[svo supporter]

If pedestrians can't see a car coming, or a crossing, they shouldn't be walking to begin with.

Elderly. Difficult one. With a lot of modern cars being fairly quiet, it makes it difficult for them to hear them coming. Their eye site, lets face it, it's not real good either. So what can you do when it comes to them, with this situation?

[Ben73]

Today this old guy decided to cross the Pacific Highway at Charlestown just as the lights went green. Stupid idea, but then instead of stopping on the medium strip he kept running across in front of the traffic going the other way.

Stupid people like this old guy are why there are pedestrian fatalities.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by xrghiawagon

Easy solution - The road is for cars, not for pedestrians to walk on...

lucky you never need to get to the other side hey champ!

[jpd80]

Oh dear, pedestrians doing the wrong thing and paying the ultimate price, so let's slow down the cars.
Rather than doing that, how about nabbing jay walkers and make them cross at safe places and
if roads are that busy, isolate the hazard by putting in over passes or subways..

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by Giant Cranium

lucky you never need to get to the other side hey champ!

C'mon ..... we know what is being said.

If you need to be on the road .... do so when there is no cars. Simple.

[dylancox]

External airbags?

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by dylancox

External airbags?

Please don't give governments stupid ideas...they have a nasty habit of becoming law...

[XRtowcar]

Considering the worlds first pedestrian death was at a speed of 4mph, we should just ban pedestrians as a method of lowering the road toll.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

If pedestrians can't see a car coming, or a crossing, they shouldn't be walking to begin with.

Elderly. Difficult one. With a lot of modern cars being fairly quiet, it makes it difficult for them to hear them coming. Their eye site, lets face it, it's not real good either. So what can you do when it comes to them, with this situation?

with hybrids on the increase and now electric vehicles coming on to the market, it will possibly create a big storm with pedestrian accidents.

they'll have to pass legislation making electric and hybrid cars have bells on them so people can hear them coming.

whatever happened to the ol' 'stop, look and listen', or 'look to the left, look to the right and look to the left again'!!

sometimes, just sometimes people need to take responsibility for their own actions.

[Franco Cozzo]

In 2010 an 80 year old woman tried to cross the Tullamarine Freeway and got hit by a truck, probably wasn't the best idea to cross a 100km/h freeway.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

In 2010 an 80 year old woman tried to cross the Tullamarine Freeway and got hit by a truck, probably wasn't the best idea to cross a 100km/h freeway.

a mate's first job as a cop was picking a head up off the m4 after someone thought it was a good idea

[wrongwaynorris]

The Harold Scrubbies et al ( and that is the ilk of person driving this ) of this world will not be happy until we all have a person walking in front of our cars waving a red flag . In the CBD I wish I had a dollar for every mindless imbecile who stepped out in front of me without even looking usually with a bloody mp3 player blaring away in both their ears and usually in direct contravention of a dont walk sign or something similar . And when you have the temerity to sound your horn 90% will abuse you for saving their WORTHLESS NO GOOD lives . Nearly got in many a punch up with these morons , actually did knock the living daylights out of one such individual who kicked my rear 3/4 panel as I drove past . Didn't fix the damage but did give me immense satisfaction .

[SPArKy_Dave]

Originally Posted by Giant Cranium

a mate's first job as a cop was picking a head up off the m4 after someone thought it was a good idea

are you taking the p*ss here??... 'Giant Cranium'....

or is it just a co-incidence.

[Falcman0o7]

0 Kmph......

[Auslandau]

Bring back Hector ..........

[2011G6E]

Do people even get pinged for jaywalking anymore? I'm old enough (only 46) to remember getting a caution from Plod for walking across the middle of a city block in Brisbane when there was no traffic from one set of lights to the next, when I was 18.

Is it even an offence anymore?

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Do people even get pinged for jaywalking anymore? I'm old enough (only 46) to remember getting a caution from Plod for walking across the middle of a city block in Brisbane when there was no traffic from one set of lights to the next, when I was 18.

Is it even an offence anymore?

It is but about as much effort goes into enforcing it as goes into booking people for not keeping left when not overtaking . ie NIL .

[ConradP]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Do people even get pinged for jaywalking anymore? I'm old enough (only 46) to remember getting a caution from Plod for walking across the middle of a city block in Brisbane when there was no traffic from one set of lights to the next, when I was 18.

Is it even an offence anymore?

I don't think so D: I have done it and noticed cops after and they didn't take a 2nd look at me.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Do people even get pinged for jaywalking anymore? I'm old enough (only 46) to remember getting a caution from Plod for walking across the middle of a city block in Brisbane when there was no traffic from one set of lights to the next, when I was 18.

Is it even an offence anymore?

They are very strict in the Melb CBD on Jaywalking.. they have plain clothed police aswell as marked but they sit there occasionally and wait.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Do people even get pinged for jaywalking anymore? I'm old enough (only 46) to remember getting a caution from Plod for walking across the middle of a city block in Brisbane when there was no traffic from one set of lights to the next, when I was 18.

Is it even an offence anymore?

The cops went through a phase about 6 months ago, in Adelaide pinging people for Jay walking. Don't know whether the phase is still going though.

[Road Games]

The moderators need a pay rise with threads like these ...

[LTDHO]

As the road told remains unchanged in 3 years, whatever they are doing isn't working.
One of the deaths last year was a 5 year old who was struck by a car doin 10kph!

Only one thing needs to happen. Training. Pure and simple.
Teach drivers to pay more attention and drive properly.
Teach kids from kinder or at least prep on how to cross the road and what to look for.

[Sizey]

Something interesting for you all. (And I bet this is revenue related too however still interesting to see) Adelaide city council wants the CBD to become 40km/h so it is safer for pedestrians however SAPOL has been having massive blitzes nabbing pedestrians for Jwalking, taking too long too cross the road and not using the lights when nearby.

You tell me what is wanted to do? One party is almost condoning pedestrians on the road and another is shunning them. Last time I checked, the road is for cars and someone would be in alot of trouble if they drove on the footpath so as minimal pedestrian traffic on the roads as possible is good.

Lets assume ALL drivers are complacent and keep pedestrians from the road as much as possible for their own safety.

In saying this, Hindley street in Adelaide CBD at night is a pedestrian run street. As is Jetty Rd Glenelg 24/7. It is almost an unwritten law that people can stroll out and not look and everyone will stop for them because it is the nature of the street.

[graham_h]

Originally Posted by dylby1

Heres a better thought.
Why don't pedestrians grow a *** brain before they cross the road

+1...lets all sell our cars and walk because people can't cross the road !!!