NSW Minimum Passing Distance

Bicycle riders are the most vulnerable people on the road and Government needs to start making laws to protect them. Today, the Minimum Passing Distance law was made permanent in NSW. Every state except Victoria now has this law. It’s time for the Victorian Government to start protecting cyclists.

Bicycle NSW along with the Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey announced today that the Minimum Passing Distance is being made permanent, after being on trial for 2 years. Bicycle NSW has worked with the NSW Government to educate them about the importance of this law and it is great to see their efforts are paying off.

Bicycle NSW President, Jon Leighton, with Minister Pavey

Amy Gillett Foundation has also been very proactive in this law and education campaign. Amy Gillett was killed by a driver in Germany in July 2005, when training with the Australian women’s cycling team. Her family established the Foundation in order to encourage more education, laws and infrastructure to protect cyclists. They have been advocating for the Minimum Passing Distance laws across Australia since 2008.

Any bike rider who cycles on roads, know the dangers. Motor vehicles travelling at any speed can do major damage to a cyclist – they need this metre. Most cyclists wear multiple hats – pedestrian, cyclists and driver – it’s about giving mutual respect from all sides.

As the law stands in NSW, when overtaking a bicycle rider you must provide:

1 metre when traveling under 60km/h
1.5 metres when traveling 60 km/h

You can legally cross double lines, if it is safe to do so, to give bicycle riders this space. If you are in doubt, provide more room. If it’s not safe to pass, wait a few seconds, the opportunity will present itself.

Making the Minimum Passing Distance permanent is about keeping existing cyclists safer, and also showing new riders that cycling is a safe and beneficial method of transport and recreation.

Dr Katie Banerjee, Minister Pavey, Belinda Clark (Amy Gillett Foundation Director) and Jon Leighton (Bicycle NSW)

This law has been on trial for 2 years in NSW, let’s look at how it has gone.

Only 70 motorists have been charged since safe passing rules were introduced, but Bicycle NSW tells us that they receive calls daily about a close pass. Bicycle NSW provide a MPD guide on their website in terms of how you can take evidence to the police – you can view it here. Still, many of these are left unreported due to “lack of evidence” or the police not wanting to investigate these offences. One of their Members recently went to the Sydney Morning Herald, after being brushed off by the police multiple times. Read the article here.

New Australian research published in Accident Analysis and Prevention last month found 16 per cent of all drivers drove dangerously close to cyclists. That number rose to 34 per cent of drivers on curved roads and those without bike paths. “Since 1998, 742 cyclists have been killed on the roads. It found about 83 per cent of these involved another driver.” Read more here.

The fact that a cycling memorial was opened last month, shows the extent of the issue. We need to do something about it. Just making a law doesn’t fix the issue. We need education and we need enforcement.

If you would like to support the advocacy efforts of Bicycle NSW, become a Member.