Ways you can help keep bike riders safe

You can avoid a crash with a bike rider by:

• Giving space: leave sufficient distance between your vehicle and the bike rider when passing. Provide at least one metre in speed zones up to 60km/h, and at least one and a half metres in zones over 60km/h.
• Slow down: drive within the speed limit and slow down until it’s safe to pass.
• Check your blindspots: take your time to check for riders especially at intersections and when turning left or right.
• Look left: Check to your left before parking your vehicle for riders in your blindspot.
• Look right: Check over your shoulder before opening your car door to make sure no bike riders are coming past. This will protect the rider from the risk of dooring.

How to improve your safety as a bike rider

• Follow the law by always wearing a bicycle helmet, it reduces your risk of head injuries in a crash by up to 60%.
• Wear closed footwear to protect your feet.
• Ensure you have both front and back lights switched on while riding at night. Lights can also increase visibility during the day.
• Make yourself visible by wearing reflective or light-coloured clothing, especially at night.
• Use bike lanes or bicycle paths where available.
• Stay alert and avoid distractions.
• Supervise young children using wheeled toys and bikes, and always ensure they wear a properly fitted helmet.
• Encourage friends and family to use their left hand while opening the driver's side door. This ensures people turn and check for oncoming people on bikes before leaving their vehicle.

What are the rules for people riding bicycles?

• A person riding a bike is required to follow the same road rules as other vehicles.
• People riding bicycles are allowed to ride two abreast, as long as they are no more than 1.5 metres from each other.
• Bikes riders are allowed to ride on most roads in Victoria, in bus lanes and on shared paths. They’re not allowed on urban freeways, freeways or other roads with a sign showing that bikes aren’t allowed. When bikes are not permitted, there are signs on the entrance ramps of those sections of freeway indicating ‘No Bicycles beyond this point on this freeway except with authority.’
• If you approach a vehicle which is turning left you must not overtake on the left hand side. Let the vehicle turn prior to continuing.
• On a road with only one lane travelling in your direction you need to stay as far left as it is safe to do so.
• If you’re on a road with two or more lanes you can ride on the left or down the centre of a lane and use the right-hand lane to do a right turn.
• Hook turns are legal at any intersection and encouraged for all right hand turns.
• Make sure your bike is fitted with lights, especially for riding at night or in bad weather. A white light needs to be fitted to the front and a red light on the back.
• You are permitted to ride on a footpath is you are under 13 years old, accompanying someone under 13, or an adult with a child seat on your bicycle. You may also ride a bicycle on a footpath if you have a medical certificate that states you have a disability that makes it difficult to ride on the road.

More information in regards to rules and regulations can be found on the VicRoads website.

Making roads safer for bike riders

• 100 kilometers of new and improved cycling routes will be delivered across key inner-Melbourne suburbs to make it easier and safer for people cycling to and from the CBD. With more people expected to use cars to get around, this $13 million investment will deliver pop-up lanes to help relieve congestion and provide an alternative to public transport for those living closer to the CBD.
• Victoria will introduce mandatory minimum passing distances next year – improving cyclist safety and ensuring passing distance rules clear and consistent across state lines for all road users. When introduced in 2021, the regulatory change would make it mandatory for motorists to give cyclists at least one metre clearance when overtaking on roads with speed limits up to 60km/h, and 1.5 metres on roads with speed limits above 60km/h.
• We are investing $100 million in building separate bike lanes and safety infrastructure to prevent crashes at intersections, riders being hit from behind and car dooring.
• We are improving routes to train stations and the CBD; creating new routes in regional areas; filling the ‘missing links’ in the existing bicycle network – like completing the Darebin Yarra Trail.
• Schools and communities are being provided with new safe cycling resources. Current resources are here