The safety of some of our most vulnerable road users has been boosted with new bicycle passing distance laws coming into force today.
New passing laws mean motorists must be at least one metre from a cyclist when passing on roads with a speed limit of up to 60 km/h, and one-and-a-half metres on roads over 60 km/h.
This fulfils our 2014 election commitment to better protect cyclists on Tasmanian roads and follows from the ‘A Metre Matters’ trial work on the mainland.
The Government laid a strong foundation for this road rule change to occur with a very successful marketing campaign last year, and it will further complement existing rules while strengthening existing messages about passing cyclists safely.
Importantly, cyclists must also still obey all road rules to ensure their own safety, including stop signs, traffic lights, riding on the left side of the road and giving way to pedestrians on crossings and at intersections.
A revamped Distance makes the Difference campaign will kick off around the state on Sunday to ensure there is no confusion for all road users.
The Distance makes the Difference television commercial will be on the Road Safety Advisory Council website from Sunday.