How do we keep people safe around trucks? | 1

In a truck crash involving a pedestrian or cyclist, it’s no surprise who comes off second best. In Victoria alone, 145 pedestrians and cyclists were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving a heavy vehicle between July 2013 and March 2019. 68% (99) of those fatal or serious injuries occurred in 30-60km/hr speed zones which are typically located in our metropolitan areas.

With increased construction activity in our capital cities ($70 billion of transport projects in Victoria alone) we can expect to see many more trucks out on the road, so what will this mean for safety of pedestrians and cyclists? While the Victorian Government’s Victoria Cycling Strategy 2018-2028 requires new cycling infrastructure to be incorporated into major transport projects, protection for cyclists and pedestrians during the construction phase is not a requirement.

Most metropolitan councils in Australia have strategies to ease congestion and reduce obesity – encouraging more people to travel by foot and bike. This means increasing the number of people sharing the roads compounds population growth. Combine that scenario with increased construction activity to meet demand for more homes and infrastructure, then you also have many more heavy vehicles on the roads, in the community and in close proximity to people.

In the UK in 2011, 6 cyclists were killed over a two week period. The government responded by investing in research to determine the causes, and took action to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists through development and implementation of a consistent standard for construction projects. This standard is known as Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS).

Derek Rees, CLOCS Project Director “It’s difficult to directly establish cause and effect but with the introduction of CLOCS in the London Borough of Camden there was also a 47% reduction in FSI incidents involving [Heavy Vehicles] and vulnerable road users.”

CLOCS–ACONSTRUCTION LOGISTICS & COMMUNITY SAFETY–AUSTRALIA

How do we keep people safe around trucks?

How do we keep people safe around trucks? | 2

So what are we doing here in Australia to prevent heavy vehicles from impacting people walking and cycling in our cities?With funding from the NHVR’s HVSI Round 3, ARRB, Australia’s National Transport Research Organisation is collaborating with the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) to adapt CLOCS to Australia. So far this has included:

Stage 1: scoping phase (2019)• Collation of information on existing initiatives

and broader activity

• Dedicated website

• Assess CLOCS for local relevance

• UK have different trucks – e,g, no truck and dog trailer with drawbar in their cities

• Fatigue management

• HV registration for business

• Discussions on standard and implementation plan

• Recommendations for technical groups and governance structure

What are the next steps?Through successful adaptation of CLOCS to Australia it won’t be necessary to re-invent the wheel. However, success will require a champion in government, and all stakeholders working together.

An application for funding through NHVR’s HVSI Round 5 to deliver the next stage in development of the CLOCS-A initiative will be lodged in February 2020.

Stage 2: refinement and implementation phase

• Implement governance structure

• Establish and support technical groups

• Refine the standard

• Establish audit and checking processes

CLOCS–ACONSTRUCTION LOGISTICS & COMMUNITY SAFETY–AUSTRALIA