#motorists — Public Fediverse posts

Motorised bikes
First they put e-bikes on the market, then it is a long wait for regulation of illegal high-powered 'motorbikes' on shared pathways and beaches.

There has been "...alleged antisocial and criminal behaviour involving a group of youths riding e-bikes in the Moonee and North Sapphire Beach areas."

"The claims echo concerns being raised in communities right across the state. For many locals, the issue isn’t just legality. It’s safety on shared pathways residents once felt confident using every day." >>
https://coffscoast.newsofthearea.com.au/technology-outpaces-the-law-on-e-bikes
#pedestrians #motorists #Ebike #safety #regulation #beaches #MooneeBeach #NorthSapphireBeach #Sawtell #CoffsHarbour #NSW #MotorVehicles #MobilityDesign #ActiveTansportInfrastructure
#MidNorthCoast #SapphireBeach #NorthSapphireBeachPlayground #parenting #AntisocialBehaviour #DissocialBehaviours #crime

Crashes at Lavenders Bridge, North Bellingen

* Just a short time ago two women were killed and another seriously injured after a motorist 'lost control' near the notorious Lavender Bridge and smashed into two cars parked at the riverside swimming spot. >>
https://coffscoast.newsofthearea.com.au/a-woman-has-tragically-died-in-a-crash-at-bellingen-on-thursday-afternoon

* Today there was another serious incident involving two e-bikes. An ambulance was seen at the crash zone. An injured person was seen lying on the ground. (The ambulance is visible on the Kombu Flood Camera at 2026-05-24 11.26 ) >>
https://kombuwholefoods.com.au/floodcam/

* The long road to a bike-friendly Australia >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116626357349183983

* In the design of the new 'Lavenders Bridge Replacement' bikes and foot traffic do not seem to be a feature. A lot of bitumen was smeared over the river banks to facilitate the convenience for cars (parking).

Image: North Bellingen, Lavender Bridge Black Spot by design

#MobilityDesign #LavendersBridge #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #BellingenShire #accidents #crash #pedestrians

The long road to a bike-friendly Australia
and the dehumanisation of cyclists

* "At the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably decades away. What’s taking so long?

"NSW wants to double active transport trips in 20 years...But at the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably another 50 years away, experts speaking to The Fifth Estate warned. Progress is slow. (One bike bridge was recently installed in Melbourne after 37 years of lobbying and discussion.)"

"A 2024 report by The Australia Institute points out that less than 1 per cent of federal road funding goes to active transport infrastructure."

"Richter was one of 49 bike riders who died on Australian roads last year, up on the average of around 38 deaths per year between 2012-23. (Thousands more were hospitalised with serious injuries during that period.)." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-24/active-transport-cycling-bikes-cities-safety/106710436

* Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported aggressive behaviour toward them: A pilot study >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847818308593?dgcid=author

#MobilityDesign #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #Australia

IMAGE: Children on scooters on a 'normal' Bellingen bitumen streetscape lacking a footpath or a cycle path. Nothing is protecting the flesh and blood from metal and steel.

New words in my repertoire:

Kill car,
Hit Car,
Getaway Car,
Burner Car,
Hit and Run car,
Vehicular Manslaughter

Some in the underworld, some in the upper world.

"Kill cars" are vehicles that have been stolen, sometimes months in advance, have cloned plates and contain a kit to commit and get away with murder." >
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-09/sydney-underworld-kill-cars-used-in-organised-crime/105867242

#cars #words #KillCar #MotorVehicles #motorists #GetAwayWithMurder #roads

Image: 'Door to the Underworld', Bellingen. Also doubles up as a bicycle or pedestrian trap

The deadly system of automobile dependency

"Speed is still the major reason why people either get killed or seriously injured in crashes. We can't ignore the facts, and we are seeing a significant increase in death rates around the country. The cumulative effect of 100 dead every month, and 100 hospitalised every day — it's an epidemic. A tragic epidemic...Much of the safety focus is on fatalities, more than 60,000 Australians a year survive crashes on the roads. For many, recovery is a lifelong struggle."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-19/after-years-of-decline-australia-road-toll-is-rising-730/103230110

"Data released by the nation’s peak motoring body showed 2023 was the deadliest year on Australia’s roads in five and a half years, with the road death toll reaching 1,253 – the highest since 1,270 people were killed in the 12 months to March 2018....The most common killers on the road were all avoidable: speeding, drug use, drink-driving and inattention."
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/20/nsw-crash-deaths-kamilaroi-highway-gunnedah-curlewis

"Road transportation is the most complex and deadly system that people must face on a daily basis.">
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10154805/
#cars #motorists #roads #transportation #speed #crashes #risks #mutilation #denial #RoadToll #sacrifice #IntegralAccident #MobilityDesign