Riding riskiest roads

Call for urgent action as Gold Coast’s shameful crash rate is revealed

ALMOST 30 cyclists a week are involved in accidents on the Gold Coast, with experts saying the high crash rate is due to bikeriding tourists not following our road rules.

Last year 1510 cyclists were rear-ended, side-swiped, or hit objects or pedestrians, with many requiring medical treatment or hospitalisation.

The latest figures from the Department of Transport and Main Roads show the Gold Coast rates as the second-highest accident site in the state for bike and vehicle accidents, behind Brisbane.

Gold Coast bike riders are most likely to be injured while riding in Southport, with the central suburb topping the 2016 chart for accidents at 150 for the year, most of them on Smith St or Garden St.

Surfers Paradise comes in a close second with 89 accidents in 2016, most of which occurred on the Gold Coast Highway or Clifford St.

Robina, Varsity Lakes, Burleigh Heads, Broadbeach and Mermaid Beach also rate as some of the worst places to head out for a morning or afternoon ride.

As a result of the shocking data, Shine Lawyers have joined with Cycling Australia to set up a dedicated hotline for those involved in cycling accidents.

Shine Bundall branch manager Tina Ibraheem said it was no surprise some of the Coast’s most popular tourist areas rated among the worst places to cycle.

“The top sites are tourist destinations and that’s because tourists come here and don’t really know the road rules,” she said. “It’s often backpackers that use bicycles as a mode of transport.”

Cycling Queensland chief executive officer Sean Muir said while laws to protect cyclists had been introduced in recent years, there was still room for improvement when it came to cars sharing the road with cyclists.

“Queensland has come a long way,” he said. “Legislation around the two-metre laws … is really showing it’s all around sharing the road. There is a still a lot of work that needs to be done on riders and drivers.

“There is not a lot of protection (on a bike).

“When a car and bike come into play all cyclists have is one millimetre of Lycra to protect them.”

Gold Coast-based athlete Katrin Garfoot, who injured her back after an accident on her bike in Helensvale in February, said Coast traffic was “very aggressive” and “getting worse every year”.

“I know some cyclists are no angels on the roads, but there is also a false sense of ownership of the road by drivers,” the 2014 Commonwealth bronze medallist said.

Ms Ibraheem said many cyclists who are involved in accidents on the Coast were unaware they could take legal action if injured on the road.

“They are entitled to compensation for the injuries they’ve sustained. When cyclists are involved, they’re always going to be worse off,” she said.

The hotline number is 1800 751 004.