Cycling in Sydney Australia
NSW Police Corporate Plan
It looks to me that NSW Police will be developing a new corporate plan soon-ish.
This is their plan 2008 - 2012
Their measures/targets for road trauma and for dangerous driving seem a bit bizarre. I wonder whether we might engage them to establish targets and measures which are more representative of the needs of vulnerable road users.
I'm not sure whether that means championing pedestrians and especially children in order to persuade them. Is that a better tactic than seeking targets especially related to cycling?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Martin Geliot on -
I'd rather cops did have body art.
Interesting psychology behind such a move, worrying.
Although it could be that they don't care for officers to have recognisable marks which could get them into trouble when engaged in illegal violence with their identification badges removed.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on -
Yes, I agree after having thought about it more carefully. It may limit what duties they can partake in but shouldn't prevent them from joining the force if they are suitable candidates. Same goes with the 'short hair & no beards policy'...
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Permalink Reply by Bob Moore on -
They do have some targets and mention of vulnerable groups in the section on Public Safety. Even mention pedestrians and joggers,, but not cyclists. At least they could include cyclists in there somewhere. They also say "increase community engagement with A focus on vulnerable groups ". Would seem some scope for cyclists to put a case for improved community policing regards things like parking on bike paths, illegal parking of large vehicles, non compliance with 40 k zones, abuse by motorists etc. Who is going to do it though.
It is possible to get to know your local traffic sergeant through Council Traffic Cttees or maybe by just asking to talk to them, and see what they think about these sort of things, but an overall directive from above would be more useful I suppose.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Geliot on
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Indeed, targets from above would be the thing- hey it's a state wide plan.
I have in mind looking for some more specific objectives, both within the plan and with more detail within the organization. For instance plan might deal with cyclists perceiving safety; and flowed down within the org perhaps we can achieve some refinements to their target stats so that they do get measured for investigations & prosecutions for the nastier driver behaviours.
You would think that fixing the situation where cops don't know the proofs for a range of offences which don't get prosecuted would be possible.
Safe walking & jogging alone after dark is interesting, since a lot of shared paths are unsafe from the pov of attack. Thus you want them to feel responsible not just for making people safe from robbery/rape threats on cycleways but also to ensure people feel safe from vehicular attack on the road alternative.
Unfort we can't rely on our state peak body to do anything, but maybe we can do it ourselves or via BUGs.
Bike Sydney comes to mind as an appropriate structure to work with on this. Local as they are their influence extends beyond the city boundary and of course parliament lies on their turf. Although Police HQ is in Parra the Police Minister has an office in the pink palace of course.
I'm much more interested in working on the big picture 'above' things myself because I am not that interested in infrastructure. I can think of at least 2 other SCers who might be engaged & active in the same way.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Moore on
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You are right. Probably walking along a footpath next to a road is more dangerous than walking on a shared path through a park etc. most attacks would be from someone leaping out of a car I would suggest.
There was a similar exercise in UK, where road safety campaigners tried to convince police to do more about Ped and cycling safety and urban amenity issues arising from car use, which were the things the community felt most strongly about, not conventional crime. I think it did result in more community engagement with police on these issues. BNSW might do something if it was raised through the BUG Council, but someone would have to volunteer to write the submission or do the research.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Geliot on
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I'd prefer to avoid BNSW since probity considerations mean that they would be less than forceful.
As they always are.
Writing submissions and doing research a best done outside of BNSW too in my view. Better to look at what the Poms did, how and why.
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Permalink Reply by Adrian Wal on -
My vote goes to SydneyCyclist.com to be official mouthpiece for cyclists in NSW!
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Permalink Reply by Martin Geliot on
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reckon sc does work well, lots of members, knowledge and hits
i guess the more outlets the better, according to guidance from the people who campaigned about smoking
just need to respect boundaries and ensure our voices are credible and 'proper'
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Permalink Reply by Ben Carr on -
The biggest threat in my area (Ashfield) is sideswipes (narrow overtaking at speed) from cars... There are a lot. In light of this new police corporate plan to make community's safer, could the cyclists in Ashfield petition our local police to at least warn "near miss" sideswiping drivers when we record their rego.
I think it would have a bigger impact if individuals approached the local station in person separately over the space of a few months and asked the police to contact and warn the drivers nearly hitting cyclists/pedestrians as these drivers who are a minority who's repeat dangerous actions are road carnage waiting to happen. Cutting through the red tape they could at least warn these dangerous drivers especially if we get video footage of them.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Moore on
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I'd suggest individuals might lack credibility unless there was good evidence. The local BUG might be wiling to tackle the area commanders or sound him out on and at least let him know it is an issue, given enough evidence could be provided. Would the sideswipers be locals, or people passing through? Busy through roads in Ashfield, and narrow streets.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Carr on
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Thanks for your advice Bob I don't know the local BUG but will chase it up at the local bike shop also will ask one of my police mates the best way to approach the local station. Most offenders would be passing through... even the back streets arnt safe from the rat runners but I always have the worst time on the main roads.... It makes me bitter as lots of my work mates gave up cycling, whether from India, Nepal, or into cage fighting, general fitness, or just to save money. For them using the public roads in Sydney to ride a bike was of a greater danger than downhill mtb riding, riding on the streets of India or Katmandu, and cage fighting, the danger was not worth saving money (even though they needed it more than most people) nor worth the health benefits or the adrenalin rush when their lives were being threatened every trip. Its embarrassing in Australia that we have such "Nanny" like OHS standards in work places when its literally open season 24/7 on our public roads which our tax'x are continuously poured into.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Geliot on
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Hell yes, thanks for saying it how it is.
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