Shared Paths – minor investments for major gains

In recent years, the use of shared bicycle / pedestrian paths has grown in popularity as the community seeks a healthier lifestyle and increased sustainable travel options. Unfortunately, numerous serious incidents have also occurred on some of these paths. It is obviously desirable to identify existing hazards on shared paths before incidents occur. This can be done by undertaking an ‘Existing Conditions’ safety audit. These hazards can then be rated to ensure the highest priority actions are undertaken first. O’Brien Traffic has completed a large number of ‘Existing Condition’ safety audits for shared paths. The most recent project included inspections of 8.5 kilometres of shared path for a Council in the Greater Melbourne area. Audits were conducted by engineers who are not only accredited (VicRoads) road safety auditors, but also experienced cyclists.