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laquo7lc5 Q
An Observational Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
by Bicyclists in New South Wales - 1993
Nariida C Smith Frank W Milthorpe
Institute of Transport Studies University of Sydney
RTA
Roads and Traffic Authority New South Wales
TRANSPORT AND NETWORK DEVELOPMENT BRANCH
b4-lIC( lt14 f) lt
An Observational Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
by Bicyclists in New South Wales 1993
Nariida C Smith Frank W Milthorpe
Institute of Transport Studies University of Sydney
September 1993
~ 11 1lllll1111 11111111111 L088494
ISBN 0middot7305middot9110middot7
Roads and Tnftk Authority
Transport and Network Development
RTA
level I
Centennial Plaza
260 Elizabeth Street Surry Hills NSW 2010
Telephone (02) 2186880 Facsimile (02) 218 6167 PO 80x KI9B
THE FOURTH OBSERVATIONAL SURVEYS OF LAW COMPLIANCE Haymarket NSW 2000
AND HELMET WEARING
The Institute of Transport Studies University of Sydney was commissioned to carry out the fourth in a series of Observational Surveys of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing by Cyclists in New South Wales The survey has now been completed and the final report is enclosed for your information
The survey was carried out two years and three months after the introduction of legislation requiring cyclists over sixteen years of age to wear a bicycle safety helmet and one year nine months after that legislation was extended to children under sixteen It is therefore reasonable to suggest that the initial effects period after introduction is over Overall in NSW helmet compliance seems to have reached a plateau Whilst there is no room for complacency the helmet wearing rate among adults surveyed is a respectable 83 and if adults are defined as those over 19 years of age this rises to 90
Please contact me in this Branch on 218 6816 f if further information is required
Stephen H Soelistio Manager Bicycle October 19 1993
A-~ CLICK CLACK
FrontnBack GSmiddot1126middot1191
TITLE An Observational Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing by Bicyclists in New South Wales - 1993
DESCRIPTION This report describes the fourth in a series of large observational surv~y~ of bicycle riders in the Sydney area and in rural New Sou~ W~es The surveys w~re commIssl~ned by the ~oads and Traffic Authority of NSW to momtor bIcycle helmet wearmg and assocIated behavIOurs both before and after legislation was introduced to make helmet wearing compulsory (January 1991 for riders 126 and over July 1991 for younger riders) The surveys also check compliance with other traffic laws by riders at road intersections The 1993 survey observed more than 10000 cyclists at road intersections recreational areas and school gates However the report should not be used for estimates of ridership
AUTHORS Nariida C Smith Frank W Milthorpe
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank especially our survey field work Jan Goggins and her team from Bike for Bibles office staff survey workers and particularly country area co-ordinatorsWe also thank Larry Gilmore at Television Production Services in the Faculty of Health Sciences for assistance in preparing our training video and Michael McGettigan for editing and data entry
We have benefitted from the advice of the RTA consultancy project steering committee Bob Ritchie and Barbara Black and from June 1993 Steve Soelistio
Whilst this report describes a consultancy study bicycle research at the Institute of Transport Studies is supported by Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW and we thank David Stewart Steve Soelistio and Bob Ritchie for their support and commitment to this research
AUTHORS CONTACT ADDRESS Institute of Transport Studies Graduate School of Business University of Sydney NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA phone +61 25508631 fax +61 25504013
This report is published with the permission of the General Manager Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW However any views expressed in the report are those of the authors and not necessarily endorsed by the Roads and Traffic Authority
Table of Contents
SUMMARY i
Number of Riders i Helmet Wearing by Children ii Helmet Wearing by Adults iii Road Law Compliance among Cyclists iii
1 INTRODUCI10N 1
11 Background 1 12 Helmet Wearing 1 13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey 2
2 11IE SURVEY METHOD 3
21 SURVEY SAMPLE 3 211 Road Locations 3 212 School Locations 6 213 Recreational Area Locations 8 214 Survey Times 10 215 Survey weather 11
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED 12 221 Infonnation Recorded 12 222 Design 14
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 14 231 Field team 14 232 Training 15 233 Survey kits 15 234 Coding Data entry and Analysis 15
3 11IE SURVEY RESULTS 16
31 NUMBER OF RIDERS 16 32 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG CHILDREN 17
321 To School 18 322 At Recreation Areas 21 323 At Road Intersections 22
33 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG ADULTS 25 331 At Recreation Areas 26 332 At Road Intersections 27 333 Different Types of Cyclists 29 334 Correct Helmet Wearing Adults 30
34 ROAD LAW COMPLIANCE AMONG CyCLISTS 32
4 CONCLUSIONS 34
REFERENCES 36
APPENDIX 1 Background to Mandatory Helmet Wearing
APPENDIX 2 Survey Fonns and Log Sheet
List of Tables
Table I Surveyed Where What When i Table 21 Number Type and Location of Sites 1991-1993 3 Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area 4 Table 23 Road Intersection Sites - Outside Sydney 5 Table 24 School Sites in Sydney and Rural Areas 7 Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations 8 Table 26 Recreation site times 10 Table 27 Road site times 10 Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 16 Table 32 Helmet wearing Cyclists under 16 18 Table 33 School students riding to I from NSW schools 19 Table 34 Secondary schools with highest bicycle use 20 Table 35 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Recreation Areas 21 Table 36 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Road Intersections 23 Table 37 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales 24 Table 38 Adult Helmet Wearing by Age and Gender 26 Table 39 Helmet wearing Adults at Recreation Sites in NSW 27 Table 310 Adult Cyclists at Road Sites 28 Table 311 Helmet Wearing Compared with Cyclist Clothing and Luggage 30 Table 312 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in NSW 31 Table 313 Traffic Law Observance at Road Sites All Cyclists 32 Table 314 Traffic Law Observance Where Applicable 33 Table 315 Footpath Riding by Age Group 33
List of Graphs
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales ii Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists iii Graph 31 Helmet wearing by NSW School Students 19 Graph 32 Helmet wearing by children at recreation areas 22 Graph 33 Helmet Wearing by Children at Road Sites 24 Graph 34 Quality of Childrens Helmet Wearing 25 Graph 35 Percentage Helmet Wearing at Road Sites in NSW 1990-93 29 Graph 36 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in New South Wales 31 Graph 37 Percentage of riders using Footpaths by Age 34
List of Figures
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions 6 Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area 9 Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day 11
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
SUMMARY
In NSW compulsory bicycle helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced in January
1991 and for all bicycle riders in July 1991 The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW has
commissioned a series of studies over the period 1990 -1993 to monitor the effect of the
legislation by observational surveys of bicycle riders in both city and rural areas of New
South Wales This report describes the fourth in this series of surveys carried out in April
1993 The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar surveys conducted in
September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular Michael BWalker LaN
compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third survey
The main objectives of the survey were to check
(a) helmet wearing see if rate observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) areas of the state where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) if decrease in cycling is continuing has levelled out or reversed
and
(d) compliance with general traffic laws of on-road riders
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Observations were made at 122 sites statewide in Sydney originally selected by local
government area and in rural towns selected by state statistical division
Table I Surveyed Where What When
WhenSite Type Region Number of Sites Items Observed
Surveyed
Road Thurs 16Sydney 25 Helmets Intersections Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 197 Clothes Luggage Law compliance
Recreational Thurs 1612 Helmets Areas
Sydney Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 1911 Clothes Luggage
School gates WeekSydney 35 Helmets beforeafter Gender Age
Rural 24 Easter holidays
The results of analysis of these observations and the conclusions which the report draws from
them are summarised overleaf
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page i
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
b4-lIC( lt14 f) lt
An Observational Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
by Bicyclists in New South Wales 1993
Nariida C Smith Frank W Milthorpe
Institute of Transport Studies University of Sydney
September 1993
~ 11 1lllll1111 11111111111 L088494
ISBN 0middot7305middot9110middot7
Roads and Tnftk Authority
Transport and Network Development
RTA
level I
Centennial Plaza
260 Elizabeth Street Surry Hills NSW 2010
Telephone (02) 2186880 Facsimile (02) 218 6167 PO 80x KI9B
THE FOURTH OBSERVATIONAL SURVEYS OF LAW COMPLIANCE Haymarket NSW 2000
AND HELMET WEARING
The Institute of Transport Studies University of Sydney was commissioned to carry out the fourth in a series of Observational Surveys of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing by Cyclists in New South Wales The survey has now been completed and the final report is enclosed for your information
The survey was carried out two years and three months after the introduction of legislation requiring cyclists over sixteen years of age to wear a bicycle safety helmet and one year nine months after that legislation was extended to children under sixteen It is therefore reasonable to suggest that the initial effects period after introduction is over Overall in NSW helmet compliance seems to have reached a plateau Whilst there is no room for complacency the helmet wearing rate among adults surveyed is a respectable 83 and if adults are defined as those over 19 years of age this rises to 90
Please contact me in this Branch on 218 6816 f if further information is required
Stephen H Soelistio Manager Bicycle October 19 1993
A-~ CLICK CLACK
FrontnBack GSmiddot1126middot1191
TITLE An Observational Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing by Bicyclists in New South Wales - 1993
DESCRIPTION This report describes the fourth in a series of large observational surv~y~ of bicycle riders in the Sydney area and in rural New Sou~ W~es The surveys w~re commIssl~ned by the ~oads and Traffic Authority of NSW to momtor bIcycle helmet wearmg and assocIated behavIOurs both before and after legislation was introduced to make helmet wearing compulsory (January 1991 for riders 126 and over July 1991 for younger riders) The surveys also check compliance with other traffic laws by riders at road intersections The 1993 survey observed more than 10000 cyclists at road intersections recreational areas and school gates However the report should not be used for estimates of ridership
AUTHORS Nariida C Smith Frank W Milthorpe
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank especially our survey field work Jan Goggins and her team from Bike for Bibles office staff survey workers and particularly country area co-ordinatorsWe also thank Larry Gilmore at Television Production Services in the Faculty of Health Sciences for assistance in preparing our training video and Michael McGettigan for editing and data entry
We have benefitted from the advice of the RTA consultancy project steering committee Bob Ritchie and Barbara Black and from June 1993 Steve Soelistio
Whilst this report describes a consultancy study bicycle research at the Institute of Transport Studies is supported by Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW and we thank David Stewart Steve Soelistio and Bob Ritchie for their support and commitment to this research
AUTHORS CONTACT ADDRESS Institute of Transport Studies Graduate School of Business University of Sydney NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA phone +61 25508631 fax +61 25504013
This report is published with the permission of the General Manager Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW However any views expressed in the report are those of the authors and not necessarily endorsed by the Roads and Traffic Authority
Table of Contents
SUMMARY i
Number of Riders i Helmet Wearing by Children ii Helmet Wearing by Adults iii Road Law Compliance among Cyclists iii
1 INTRODUCI10N 1
11 Background 1 12 Helmet Wearing 1 13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey 2
2 11IE SURVEY METHOD 3
21 SURVEY SAMPLE 3 211 Road Locations 3 212 School Locations 6 213 Recreational Area Locations 8 214 Survey Times 10 215 Survey weather 11
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED 12 221 Infonnation Recorded 12 222 Design 14
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 14 231 Field team 14 232 Training 15 233 Survey kits 15 234 Coding Data entry and Analysis 15
3 11IE SURVEY RESULTS 16
31 NUMBER OF RIDERS 16 32 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG CHILDREN 17
321 To School 18 322 At Recreation Areas 21 323 At Road Intersections 22
33 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG ADULTS 25 331 At Recreation Areas 26 332 At Road Intersections 27 333 Different Types of Cyclists 29 334 Correct Helmet Wearing Adults 30
34 ROAD LAW COMPLIANCE AMONG CyCLISTS 32
4 CONCLUSIONS 34
REFERENCES 36
APPENDIX 1 Background to Mandatory Helmet Wearing
APPENDIX 2 Survey Fonns and Log Sheet
List of Tables
Table I Surveyed Where What When i Table 21 Number Type and Location of Sites 1991-1993 3 Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area 4 Table 23 Road Intersection Sites - Outside Sydney 5 Table 24 School Sites in Sydney and Rural Areas 7 Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations 8 Table 26 Recreation site times 10 Table 27 Road site times 10 Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 16 Table 32 Helmet wearing Cyclists under 16 18 Table 33 School students riding to I from NSW schools 19 Table 34 Secondary schools with highest bicycle use 20 Table 35 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Recreation Areas 21 Table 36 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Road Intersections 23 Table 37 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales 24 Table 38 Adult Helmet Wearing by Age and Gender 26 Table 39 Helmet wearing Adults at Recreation Sites in NSW 27 Table 310 Adult Cyclists at Road Sites 28 Table 311 Helmet Wearing Compared with Cyclist Clothing and Luggage 30 Table 312 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in NSW 31 Table 313 Traffic Law Observance at Road Sites All Cyclists 32 Table 314 Traffic Law Observance Where Applicable 33 Table 315 Footpath Riding by Age Group 33
List of Graphs
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales ii Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists iii Graph 31 Helmet wearing by NSW School Students 19 Graph 32 Helmet wearing by children at recreation areas 22 Graph 33 Helmet Wearing by Children at Road Sites 24 Graph 34 Quality of Childrens Helmet Wearing 25 Graph 35 Percentage Helmet Wearing at Road Sites in NSW 1990-93 29 Graph 36 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in New South Wales 31 Graph 37 Percentage of riders using Footpaths by Age 34
List of Figures
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions 6 Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area 9 Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day 11
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
SUMMARY
In NSW compulsory bicycle helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced in January
1991 and for all bicycle riders in July 1991 The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW has
commissioned a series of studies over the period 1990 -1993 to monitor the effect of the
legislation by observational surveys of bicycle riders in both city and rural areas of New
South Wales This report describes the fourth in this series of surveys carried out in April
1993 The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar surveys conducted in
September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular Michael BWalker LaN
compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third survey
The main objectives of the survey were to check
(a) helmet wearing see if rate observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) areas of the state where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) if decrease in cycling is continuing has levelled out or reversed
and
(d) compliance with general traffic laws of on-road riders
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Observations were made at 122 sites statewide in Sydney originally selected by local
government area and in rural towns selected by state statistical division
Table I Surveyed Where What When
WhenSite Type Region Number of Sites Items Observed
Surveyed
Road Thurs 16Sydney 25 Helmets Intersections Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 197 Clothes Luggage Law compliance
Recreational Thurs 1612 Helmets Areas
Sydney Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 1911 Clothes Luggage
School gates WeekSydney 35 Helmets beforeafter Gender Age
Rural 24 Easter holidays
The results of analysis of these observations and the conclusions which the report draws from
them are summarised overleaf
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page i
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Roads and Tnftk Authority
Transport and Network Development
RTA
level I
Centennial Plaza
260 Elizabeth Street Surry Hills NSW 2010
Telephone (02) 2186880 Facsimile (02) 218 6167 PO 80x KI9B
THE FOURTH OBSERVATIONAL SURVEYS OF LAW COMPLIANCE Haymarket NSW 2000
AND HELMET WEARING
The Institute of Transport Studies University of Sydney was commissioned to carry out the fourth in a series of Observational Surveys of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing by Cyclists in New South Wales The survey has now been completed and the final report is enclosed for your information
The survey was carried out two years and three months after the introduction of legislation requiring cyclists over sixteen years of age to wear a bicycle safety helmet and one year nine months after that legislation was extended to children under sixteen It is therefore reasonable to suggest that the initial effects period after introduction is over Overall in NSW helmet compliance seems to have reached a plateau Whilst there is no room for complacency the helmet wearing rate among adults surveyed is a respectable 83 and if adults are defined as those over 19 years of age this rises to 90
Please contact me in this Branch on 218 6816 f if further information is required
Stephen H Soelistio Manager Bicycle October 19 1993
A-~ CLICK CLACK
FrontnBack GSmiddot1126middot1191
TITLE An Observational Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing by Bicyclists in New South Wales - 1993
DESCRIPTION This report describes the fourth in a series of large observational surv~y~ of bicycle riders in the Sydney area and in rural New Sou~ W~es The surveys w~re commIssl~ned by the ~oads and Traffic Authority of NSW to momtor bIcycle helmet wearmg and assocIated behavIOurs both before and after legislation was introduced to make helmet wearing compulsory (January 1991 for riders 126 and over July 1991 for younger riders) The surveys also check compliance with other traffic laws by riders at road intersections The 1993 survey observed more than 10000 cyclists at road intersections recreational areas and school gates However the report should not be used for estimates of ridership
AUTHORS Nariida C Smith Frank W Milthorpe
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank especially our survey field work Jan Goggins and her team from Bike for Bibles office staff survey workers and particularly country area co-ordinatorsWe also thank Larry Gilmore at Television Production Services in the Faculty of Health Sciences for assistance in preparing our training video and Michael McGettigan for editing and data entry
We have benefitted from the advice of the RTA consultancy project steering committee Bob Ritchie and Barbara Black and from June 1993 Steve Soelistio
Whilst this report describes a consultancy study bicycle research at the Institute of Transport Studies is supported by Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW and we thank David Stewart Steve Soelistio and Bob Ritchie for their support and commitment to this research
AUTHORS CONTACT ADDRESS Institute of Transport Studies Graduate School of Business University of Sydney NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA phone +61 25508631 fax +61 25504013
This report is published with the permission of the General Manager Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW However any views expressed in the report are those of the authors and not necessarily endorsed by the Roads and Traffic Authority
Table of Contents
SUMMARY i
Number of Riders i Helmet Wearing by Children ii Helmet Wearing by Adults iii Road Law Compliance among Cyclists iii
1 INTRODUCI10N 1
11 Background 1 12 Helmet Wearing 1 13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey 2
2 11IE SURVEY METHOD 3
21 SURVEY SAMPLE 3 211 Road Locations 3 212 School Locations 6 213 Recreational Area Locations 8 214 Survey Times 10 215 Survey weather 11
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED 12 221 Infonnation Recorded 12 222 Design 14
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 14 231 Field team 14 232 Training 15 233 Survey kits 15 234 Coding Data entry and Analysis 15
3 11IE SURVEY RESULTS 16
31 NUMBER OF RIDERS 16 32 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG CHILDREN 17
321 To School 18 322 At Recreation Areas 21 323 At Road Intersections 22
33 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG ADULTS 25 331 At Recreation Areas 26 332 At Road Intersections 27 333 Different Types of Cyclists 29 334 Correct Helmet Wearing Adults 30
34 ROAD LAW COMPLIANCE AMONG CyCLISTS 32
4 CONCLUSIONS 34
REFERENCES 36
APPENDIX 1 Background to Mandatory Helmet Wearing
APPENDIX 2 Survey Fonns and Log Sheet
List of Tables
Table I Surveyed Where What When i Table 21 Number Type and Location of Sites 1991-1993 3 Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area 4 Table 23 Road Intersection Sites - Outside Sydney 5 Table 24 School Sites in Sydney and Rural Areas 7 Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations 8 Table 26 Recreation site times 10 Table 27 Road site times 10 Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 16 Table 32 Helmet wearing Cyclists under 16 18 Table 33 School students riding to I from NSW schools 19 Table 34 Secondary schools with highest bicycle use 20 Table 35 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Recreation Areas 21 Table 36 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Road Intersections 23 Table 37 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales 24 Table 38 Adult Helmet Wearing by Age and Gender 26 Table 39 Helmet wearing Adults at Recreation Sites in NSW 27 Table 310 Adult Cyclists at Road Sites 28 Table 311 Helmet Wearing Compared with Cyclist Clothing and Luggage 30 Table 312 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in NSW 31 Table 313 Traffic Law Observance at Road Sites All Cyclists 32 Table 314 Traffic Law Observance Where Applicable 33 Table 315 Footpath Riding by Age Group 33
List of Graphs
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales ii Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists iii Graph 31 Helmet wearing by NSW School Students 19 Graph 32 Helmet wearing by children at recreation areas 22 Graph 33 Helmet Wearing by Children at Road Sites 24 Graph 34 Quality of Childrens Helmet Wearing 25 Graph 35 Percentage Helmet Wearing at Road Sites in NSW 1990-93 29 Graph 36 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in New South Wales 31 Graph 37 Percentage of riders using Footpaths by Age 34
List of Figures
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions 6 Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area 9 Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day 11
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
SUMMARY
In NSW compulsory bicycle helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced in January
1991 and for all bicycle riders in July 1991 The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW has
commissioned a series of studies over the period 1990 -1993 to monitor the effect of the
legislation by observational surveys of bicycle riders in both city and rural areas of New
South Wales This report describes the fourth in this series of surveys carried out in April
1993 The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar surveys conducted in
September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular Michael BWalker LaN
compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third survey
The main objectives of the survey were to check
(a) helmet wearing see if rate observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) areas of the state where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) if decrease in cycling is continuing has levelled out or reversed
and
(d) compliance with general traffic laws of on-road riders
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Observations were made at 122 sites statewide in Sydney originally selected by local
government area and in rural towns selected by state statistical division
Table I Surveyed Where What When
WhenSite Type Region Number of Sites Items Observed
Surveyed
Road Thurs 16Sydney 25 Helmets Intersections Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 197 Clothes Luggage Law compliance
Recreational Thurs 1612 Helmets Areas
Sydney Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 1911 Clothes Luggage
School gates WeekSydney 35 Helmets beforeafter Gender Age
Rural 24 Easter holidays
The results of analysis of these observations and the conclusions which the report draws from
them are summarised overleaf
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page i
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
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Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
TITLE An Observational Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing by Bicyclists in New South Wales - 1993
DESCRIPTION This report describes the fourth in a series of large observational surv~y~ of bicycle riders in the Sydney area and in rural New Sou~ W~es The surveys w~re commIssl~ned by the ~oads and Traffic Authority of NSW to momtor bIcycle helmet wearmg and assocIated behavIOurs both before and after legislation was introduced to make helmet wearing compulsory (January 1991 for riders 126 and over July 1991 for younger riders) The surveys also check compliance with other traffic laws by riders at road intersections The 1993 survey observed more than 10000 cyclists at road intersections recreational areas and school gates However the report should not be used for estimates of ridership
AUTHORS Nariida C Smith Frank W Milthorpe
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank especially our survey field work Jan Goggins and her team from Bike for Bibles office staff survey workers and particularly country area co-ordinatorsWe also thank Larry Gilmore at Television Production Services in the Faculty of Health Sciences for assistance in preparing our training video and Michael McGettigan for editing and data entry
We have benefitted from the advice of the RTA consultancy project steering committee Bob Ritchie and Barbara Black and from June 1993 Steve Soelistio
Whilst this report describes a consultancy study bicycle research at the Institute of Transport Studies is supported by Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW and we thank David Stewart Steve Soelistio and Bob Ritchie for their support and commitment to this research
AUTHORS CONTACT ADDRESS Institute of Transport Studies Graduate School of Business University of Sydney NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA phone +61 25508631 fax +61 25504013
This report is published with the permission of the General Manager Transport and Network Development Branch in the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW However any views expressed in the report are those of the authors and not necessarily endorsed by the Roads and Traffic Authority
Table of Contents
SUMMARY i
Number of Riders i Helmet Wearing by Children ii Helmet Wearing by Adults iii Road Law Compliance among Cyclists iii
1 INTRODUCI10N 1
11 Background 1 12 Helmet Wearing 1 13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey 2
2 11IE SURVEY METHOD 3
21 SURVEY SAMPLE 3 211 Road Locations 3 212 School Locations 6 213 Recreational Area Locations 8 214 Survey Times 10 215 Survey weather 11
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED 12 221 Infonnation Recorded 12 222 Design 14
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 14 231 Field team 14 232 Training 15 233 Survey kits 15 234 Coding Data entry and Analysis 15
3 11IE SURVEY RESULTS 16
31 NUMBER OF RIDERS 16 32 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG CHILDREN 17
321 To School 18 322 At Recreation Areas 21 323 At Road Intersections 22
33 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG ADULTS 25 331 At Recreation Areas 26 332 At Road Intersections 27 333 Different Types of Cyclists 29 334 Correct Helmet Wearing Adults 30
34 ROAD LAW COMPLIANCE AMONG CyCLISTS 32
4 CONCLUSIONS 34
REFERENCES 36
APPENDIX 1 Background to Mandatory Helmet Wearing
APPENDIX 2 Survey Fonns and Log Sheet
List of Tables
Table I Surveyed Where What When i Table 21 Number Type and Location of Sites 1991-1993 3 Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area 4 Table 23 Road Intersection Sites - Outside Sydney 5 Table 24 School Sites in Sydney and Rural Areas 7 Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations 8 Table 26 Recreation site times 10 Table 27 Road site times 10 Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 16 Table 32 Helmet wearing Cyclists under 16 18 Table 33 School students riding to I from NSW schools 19 Table 34 Secondary schools with highest bicycle use 20 Table 35 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Recreation Areas 21 Table 36 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Road Intersections 23 Table 37 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales 24 Table 38 Adult Helmet Wearing by Age and Gender 26 Table 39 Helmet wearing Adults at Recreation Sites in NSW 27 Table 310 Adult Cyclists at Road Sites 28 Table 311 Helmet Wearing Compared with Cyclist Clothing and Luggage 30 Table 312 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in NSW 31 Table 313 Traffic Law Observance at Road Sites All Cyclists 32 Table 314 Traffic Law Observance Where Applicable 33 Table 315 Footpath Riding by Age Group 33
List of Graphs
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales ii Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists iii Graph 31 Helmet wearing by NSW School Students 19 Graph 32 Helmet wearing by children at recreation areas 22 Graph 33 Helmet Wearing by Children at Road Sites 24 Graph 34 Quality of Childrens Helmet Wearing 25 Graph 35 Percentage Helmet Wearing at Road Sites in NSW 1990-93 29 Graph 36 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in New South Wales 31 Graph 37 Percentage of riders using Footpaths by Age 34
List of Figures
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions 6 Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area 9 Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day 11
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
SUMMARY
In NSW compulsory bicycle helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced in January
1991 and for all bicycle riders in July 1991 The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW has
commissioned a series of studies over the period 1990 -1993 to monitor the effect of the
legislation by observational surveys of bicycle riders in both city and rural areas of New
South Wales This report describes the fourth in this series of surveys carried out in April
1993 The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar surveys conducted in
September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular Michael BWalker LaN
compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third survey
The main objectives of the survey were to check
(a) helmet wearing see if rate observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) areas of the state where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) if decrease in cycling is continuing has levelled out or reversed
and
(d) compliance with general traffic laws of on-road riders
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Observations were made at 122 sites statewide in Sydney originally selected by local
government area and in rural towns selected by state statistical division
Table I Surveyed Where What When
WhenSite Type Region Number of Sites Items Observed
Surveyed
Road Thurs 16Sydney 25 Helmets Intersections Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 197 Clothes Luggage Law compliance
Recreational Thurs 1612 Helmets Areas
Sydney Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 1911 Clothes Luggage
School gates WeekSydney 35 Helmets beforeafter Gender Age
Rural 24 Easter holidays
The results of analysis of these observations and the conclusions which the report draws from
them are summarised overleaf
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page i
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
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Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Table of Contents
SUMMARY i
Number of Riders i Helmet Wearing by Children ii Helmet Wearing by Adults iii Road Law Compliance among Cyclists iii
1 INTRODUCI10N 1
11 Background 1 12 Helmet Wearing 1 13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey 2
2 11IE SURVEY METHOD 3
21 SURVEY SAMPLE 3 211 Road Locations 3 212 School Locations 6 213 Recreational Area Locations 8 214 Survey Times 10 215 Survey weather 11
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED 12 221 Infonnation Recorded 12 222 Design 14
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 14 231 Field team 14 232 Training 15 233 Survey kits 15 234 Coding Data entry and Analysis 15
3 11IE SURVEY RESULTS 16
31 NUMBER OF RIDERS 16 32 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG CHILDREN 17
321 To School 18 322 At Recreation Areas 21 323 At Road Intersections 22
33 HELMET WEARING RATES AMONG ADULTS 25 331 At Recreation Areas 26 332 At Road Intersections 27 333 Different Types of Cyclists 29 334 Correct Helmet Wearing Adults 30
34 ROAD LAW COMPLIANCE AMONG CyCLISTS 32
4 CONCLUSIONS 34
REFERENCES 36
APPENDIX 1 Background to Mandatory Helmet Wearing
APPENDIX 2 Survey Fonns and Log Sheet
List of Tables
Table I Surveyed Where What When i Table 21 Number Type and Location of Sites 1991-1993 3 Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area 4 Table 23 Road Intersection Sites - Outside Sydney 5 Table 24 School Sites in Sydney and Rural Areas 7 Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations 8 Table 26 Recreation site times 10 Table 27 Road site times 10 Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 16 Table 32 Helmet wearing Cyclists under 16 18 Table 33 School students riding to I from NSW schools 19 Table 34 Secondary schools with highest bicycle use 20 Table 35 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Recreation Areas 21 Table 36 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Road Intersections 23 Table 37 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales 24 Table 38 Adult Helmet Wearing by Age and Gender 26 Table 39 Helmet wearing Adults at Recreation Sites in NSW 27 Table 310 Adult Cyclists at Road Sites 28 Table 311 Helmet Wearing Compared with Cyclist Clothing and Luggage 30 Table 312 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in NSW 31 Table 313 Traffic Law Observance at Road Sites All Cyclists 32 Table 314 Traffic Law Observance Where Applicable 33 Table 315 Footpath Riding by Age Group 33
List of Graphs
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales ii Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists iii Graph 31 Helmet wearing by NSW School Students 19 Graph 32 Helmet wearing by children at recreation areas 22 Graph 33 Helmet Wearing by Children at Road Sites 24 Graph 34 Quality of Childrens Helmet Wearing 25 Graph 35 Percentage Helmet Wearing at Road Sites in NSW 1990-93 29 Graph 36 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in New South Wales 31 Graph 37 Percentage of riders using Footpaths by Age 34
List of Figures
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions 6 Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area 9 Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day 11
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
SUMMARY
In NSW compulsory bicycle helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced in January
1991 and for all bicycle riders in July 1991 The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW has
commissioned a series of studies over the period 1990 -1993 to monitor the effect of the
legislation by observational surveys of bicycle riders in both city and rural areas of New
South Wales This report describes the fourth in this series of surveys carried out in April
1993 The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar surveys conducted in
September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular Michael BWalker LaN
compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third survey
The main objectives of the survey were to check
(a) helmet wearing see if rate observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) areas of the state where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) if decrease in cycling is continuing has levelled out or reversed
and
(d) compliance with general traffic laws of on-road riders
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Observations were made at 122 sites statewide in Sydney originally selected by local
government area and in rural towns selected by state statistical division
Table I Surveyed Where What When
WhenSite Type Region Number of Sites Items Observed
Surveyed
Road Thurs 16Sydney 25 Helmets Intersections Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 197 Clothes Luggage Law compliance
Recreational Thurs 1612 Helmets Areas
Sydney Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 1911 Clothes Luggage
School gates WeekSydney 35 Helmets beforeafter Gender Age
Rural 24 Easter holidays
The results of analysis of these observations and the conclusions which the report draws from
them are summarised overleaf
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page i
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
List of Tables
Table I Surveyed Where What When i Table 21 Number Type and Location of Sites 1991-1993 3 Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area 4 Table 23 Road Intersection Sites - Outside Sydney 5 Table 24 School Sites in Sydney and Rural Areas 7 Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations 8 Table 26 Recreation site times 10 Table 27 Road site times 10 Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 16 Table 32 Helmet wearing Cyclists under 16 18 Table 33 School students riding to I from NSW schools 19 Table 34 Secondary schools with highest bicycle use 20 Table 35 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Recreation Areas 21 Table 36 Helmet wearing Children under 16 at Road Intersections 23 Table 37 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales 24 Table 38 Adult Helmet Wearing by Age and Gender 26 Table 39 Helmet wearing Adults at Recreation Sites in NSW 27 Table 310 Adult Cyclists at Road Sites 28 Table 311 Helmet Wearing Compared with Cyclist Clothing and Luggage 30 Table 312 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in NSW 31 Table 313 Traffic Law Observance at Road Sites All Cyclists 32 Table 314 Traffic Law Observance Where Applicable 33 Table 315 Footpath Riding by Age Group 33
List of Graphs
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales ii Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists iii Graph 31 Helmet wearing by NSW School Students 19 Graph 32 Helmet wearing by children at recreation areas 22 Graph 33 Helmet Wearing by Children at Road Sites 24 Graph 34 Quality of Childrens Helmet Wearing 25 Graph 35 Percentage Helmet Wearing at Road Sites in NSW 1990-93 29 Graph 36 Quality of Helmet Wearing by Adults in New South Wales 31 Graph 37 Percentage of riders using Footpaths by Age 34
List of Figures
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions 6 Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area 9 Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day 11
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
SUMMARY
In NSW compulsory bicycle helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced in January
1991 and for all bicycle riders in July 1991 The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW has
commissioned a series of studies over the period 1990 -1993 to monitor the effect of the
legislation by observational surveys of bicycle riders in both city and rural areas of New
South Wales This report describes the fourth in this series of surveys carried out in April
1993 The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar surveys conducted in
September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular Michael BWalker LaN
compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third survey
The main objectives of the survey were to check
(a) helmet wearing see if rate observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) areas of the state where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) if decrease in cycling is continuing has levelled out or reversed
and
(d) compliance with general traffic laws of on-road riders
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Observations were made at 122 sites statewide in Sydney originally selected by local
government area and in rural towns selected by state statistical division
Table I Surveyed Where What When
WhenSite Type Region Number of Sites Items Observed
Surveyed
Road Thurs 16Sydney 25 Helmets Intersections Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 197 Clothes Luggage Law compliance
Recreational Thurs 1612 Helmets Areas
Sydney Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 1911 Clothes Luggage
School gates WeekSydney 35 Helmets beforeafter Gender Age
Rural 24 Easter holidays
The results of analysis of these observations and the conclusions which the report draws from
them are summarised overleaf
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page i
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
SUMMARY
In NSW compulsory bicycle helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced in January
1991 and for all bicycle riders in July 1991 The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW has
commissioned a series of studies over the period 1990 -1993 to monitor the effect of the
legislation by observational surveys of bicycle riders in both city and rural areas of New
South Wales This report describes the fourth in this series of surveys carried out in April
1993 The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar surveys conducted in
September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular Michael BWalker LaN
compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third survey
The main objectives of the survey were to check
(a) helmet wearing see if rate observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) areas of the state where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) if decrease in cycling is continuing has levelled out or reversed
and
(d) compliance with general traffic laws of on-road riders
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Observations were made at 122 sites statewide in Sydney originally selected by local
government area and in rural towns selected by state statistical division
Table I Surveyed Where What When
WhenSite Type Region Number of Sites Items Observed
Surveyed
Road Thurs 16Sydney 25 Helmets Intersections Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 197 Clothes Luggage Law compliance
Recreational Thurs 1612 Helmets Areas
Sydney Sat 18 Gender Age
Rural Sun 1911 Clothes Luggage
School gates WeekSydney 35 Helmets beforeafter Gender Age
Rural 24 Easter holidays
The results of analysis of these observations and the conclusions which the report draws from
them are summarised overleaf
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page i
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
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Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
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Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Number of Riders
The number of adult riders (6922) has increased marginally from last year A slight drop in
road site counts being more than compensated by increased ridership at recreational sites
There was a further decrease in the number of children riding on roads and very markedly at
the school sites surveyed in Sydney (-30) However care must be taken in interpreting the
figures in the report as overall community cycling rates The Sydney road sites were
originally selected by road place and type rather than by cycle route therefore numbers of
cyclists counted in the road surveys will be a more conservative count than had sampling
been carried out by cycle route Similarly the school sites were sampled geographically rather
than by school attitude to cycling which is a dominant factor in ridership thus some schools
with low ridership have been included in the sample (School attitudes may also have an
effect on helmet wearing)
Therefore these figures should not be used to estimate
total exposure or ridership in the State of New South Wales
Helmet Wearing by Children
Overall 74 of NSW children under 16 observed were wearing helmets made up of 76 at
school gates 74 at recreational sites and 68 at road sites However these average
numbers encompass a wide discrepancy in helmet compliance by area age and activity
ranging from 10 of riders at a school in the western area of Sydney to 99 on the
Wollongong Bike path Graph I shows childrens helmet wearing by activity and area
Graph I Helmet Wearing by Children in New South Wales
100
80
60
40
20
School School Rec Rec Road Rood Sydney Rural Sydney Rural Sydney Rural
II Not worn E] Incorrect EI Correct
Like most safety devices bicycle helmets can only offer protection if they are worn correctly
thus the survey checked if the helmet was properly positioned on the head and strapped
Education may help but equally design changes to facilitate correct helmet positioning or
deter incorrect positioning might be helpful
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page ii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Helmet Wearing by Adults
In general helmet compliance by adults has been higher than that for teenage children Now
more than two years after legislation the helmet wearing rate for riders over 16 years of age
seems to have reached a lateau
The 1993 rate = 83 It is even hi her if adults are defined as riders over 19 ears
Compliance is still lower in Sydney than in rural areas but if quality of helmet wearing is
considered protection rates are very similar Levels and quality of helmet wearing observed
are shown in Graph ll
Graph II Helmet Wearing by Adult Cyclists
100
50
000 Sydney Sydney Rural Rural Male Female Male Female
II Not worn [J Incorrect EJ Correct
In line with previous surveys the 1~93 observations again found that riders wearing cycling
clothes had a very much higher level of helmet wearing Three explanations are advanced for
this (i) those who dress properly are serious cyclists and thus likely to comply (ii) those
who equip themselves with cycling clothes will also have a helmet and (iii) cycling clothes
are seldom worn on very short trips and helmets may also be less likely to be used for these
types of trips
Road Law Compliance among Cyclists
Cyclists on roads are both vulnerable to injury if involved in collision with other vehicles and
sometimes unaware or ignore the fact that general road rules apply to them The observers at
road sites checked for general compliance with road rules As found in the previous survey
there is much better compliance with specific bicycles rules keeping hands and feet on the
pedals no front doubling no riding three or more abreast than with general traffic rules such
as com liance with traffic si nals
Hand turn and stop signals are seldom given The next most common law violation is
Education may be of help or engineering solutions such a traffic indicators for turns and
provision of separate carriage ways for bicycles may be indicated
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993page iii
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
1 INTRODUCTION
11 Background
Bicycle travel is now of rapidly rising importance world wide for several reasons including
the need to limit the growth of motor vehicle movements for global reasons greenhouse gas
limitation and local reasons of air quality and traffic congestion In Australia these types of
considerations prompted the Ecologically Sustainable Development Transport Working
Group to call for cycling to be facilitated as a growing pan of the transport system However
many surveys (Goldsmith 1992) suggest that questions of cycling safety are major deterrents
to prospective riders and in some cases to transport planners In addition it is widely agreed
that cyclists are vulnerable road users and thus if measures are put in place to increase
participation in cycling safety issues should be addressed Thus the Australian Transport
Advisory Council (ATAC) ministers in 1992 decided that safe cycling should be promoted
for commuting and recreation
Safety issues to be addressed follow two themes protecting the cyclist from involvement in
traffic incidents by road engineering treatments for instance separate bike lanes safe cycling
education campaigns (particularly for teenage riders) and enforcement to ensure that cyclists
obey road laws Coupled with the crash prevention approach has been protection of the cyclist
from injury in the event of a crash The introduction of mandatory bicycle helmet wearing
follows an Australian tradition of mandatory protection laws relating to car seat belt
requirements and motor cycle helmets This tradition reflects the philosophy that individual
welfare is a societal concern and severe injury a societal cost
In NSW compulsory helmet wearing for adults (over 16) was introduced from 1 January 1991
and for all bicycle riders from July 1991 Mandatory helmet use has also been introduced in
other States (Some background to mandatory helmet legislation is given in Appendix 1)
12 Helmet Wearing
Research results show that increases in helmet wearing have clearly resulted in a significant
reduction in head injuries since legislation was introduced Cameron et al (1992) observed
the significant increase in helmet wearing was associated with a reduction of cyclists admitted
to hospital with head injury (37 reduction in cyclists killed 51 of cyclists injured) But
there was also a substantial (21 and 24) decrease in severely injured cyclists who did not
suffer head injury possibly due to helmet legislation reducing participation and or less
riding In particular deterrence of teenage riders who may be relatively more likely to
practice other unsafe riding behaviour has been observed Thus whilst research into the
effectiveness of bicycle helmets in reducing fatalities is being carried out careful monitoring
of both helmet wearing and bicycle riding participation rates is needed
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 1
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
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Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
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Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
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Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Observational studies of the impact of mandatory helmet legislation on levels of usage have
been conducted vinually in parallel in New South Wales (Walker 1990 1991 and 1992) and
Victoria (Cameron et al 1992) (Finch et aI 1993)
Walker (1992) in New South Wales found an increase in rates of helmet wearing among
children under 16 (315 pre-law compared to 759 post law) In Walker (1991) the helmet
wearing rate in Sydney post legislation for adults was observed to have increased to 75
from 31 observed in the flrst survey in the series on helmet wearing in NSW (Walker 1990)
although the comparability of these flndings was questioned due to the effect of seasonal
variation between the two surveys Subject to these provisos the study also found that adult
cycling increased between 1990 and 1991 by 6 which accords with the flndings of an
increase in adult cycling in the Victorian study (Cameron et aI 1992) In the subsequent
study however (Walker 1992) the numbers of adult cyclists was observed to have decreased
by 14 This study which was after the application of the compUlsory helmet wearing
provisions to bicycle riders under 16 observed a 36 drop in numbers of child cyclists
13 A Fourth NSW Observational Survey
The Roads and Trafflc Authority appointed the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at the
University of Sydney to conduct an observational survey of law compliance and helmet
wearing by bicyclists in NSW The survey was to be essentially a replication of similar
surveys conducted in September 1990 April 1991 and April 1992 See in particular
Michael BWalker Law compliance among cyclists in New South Wales April 1992 A third
survey
The main objectives of the survey were to
(a) detennine trends in law compliance and particularly note if the helmet wearing rate
observed in April 1992 is being maintained
(b) identify the areas of the State where bicycle use is particularly low and
(c) detennine if the decrease in cycling noted in the past survey is continuing has levelled out
or has been reversed
Observations were made at three types of sites road intersections school gates and
recreational sites such as parks and beaches A strong degree of replication of the previous
surveys with respect to timing day of week locations and types of behaviours observed was
required
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 2
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
2 THE SURVEY METHOD
21 SURVEY SAMPLE
As noted in the introduction this survey was a replication of the 1992 and earlier surveys and
the brief specifically required the same sites to be surveyed at equivalent times Tables 21 shows the number of sites Tables 22 to 25 give locations for road sites (in Sydney and
outside Sydney) school and recreational survey sites respectively
Table 21 Number Type and Location or Sites 1991middot1993
Site Type Region Survey 2 1991 Survey 3 1992 Survey 4 1993
Road
Intersections
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
25
7
8
25
7
7
25
7
8
Recreational
Areas
Sydney
Inner Rural
Outer Rural
12
4
7
12
4
6
12
4
7
School gates Sydney primary
Sydney secondary
Rural primary
Rural secondary
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
16
19
12
12
TOTALS 122 120 122
211 Road Locations
Of the thirty nine road locations twenty five were in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA)
selected on the basis of two sites in each of twelve local government areas (LOA) seeking
a representative sample geographically and a sample stratified by socioeconomic status plus
one central city site The site intersections were further chosen for a mix of four different
road types arterial (A) collector(C) minor(M) and secondary(S) It should be noted
however that these definitions refer to the automobile traffic on the road not non-motorised or
more particularly bicycle traffic A secondary road may be a major bicycle thoroughfare so
used particularly because it carries less motor traffic Table 22 shows the intersections in the
SMA surveyed by LGA
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 3
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Table 22 Road Intersection Sites in Sydney Metropolitan Area
LGA ROAD SITE ROAD TYPES
ASHFIELD Old Canterbury rd Myra st Elizabeth st Frederick st
AM SC
B ANKS TOWN Chapel rd Macauley av River rd Doyle st (Revesby)
AC SM
BAULKHAM HllLS Windsor rd Cook st Seven Hills rd Flinders av
AC SM
BOTANY Botany rd Bay st ORiordan st Coward st (Mascot)
AM SC
HORNSBY Bobbin Head rd Burns rd (Turramurra) Sherbrook rd Linda st
AS CM
HUN1ERS HllL Epping Rd LongueviUe rd (Lane Cove) Ryde rd Augustine st
AC SM
LIVERPOOL Heathcote rd Moorebank av Cartwright av Willan st (Cartwright)~
AS CM
MANLY Condamine st Kenneth rd (Manl y Vale) Lauderdale av Margaret st (Fairlight)
AC SM
PARRAMATTA OConnell st Board st (North Parramatta) Binalong rd Burrabogee rd (pendle Hill)
AS CM
PENRITH Richmond rd Andrews rd (Kingswood Park) Maxwell st Evan st (penrith)
AS CM
SUTHERLAND The Kingsway Elouera st (Cronulla) The Boulevarde Wandella st (Miranda)
AS CM
WOOLLAHRA New South Head rd Ocean st (Edgeclift) Military rd Liverpool st (Dover Heights)
AS CM
SYDNEY CENTRE George st Park st NA
Outside Sydney the road intersections had been chosen based on local knowledge of major
intersections used by cyclists Sampling was based on the Statistical Divisions of of New
South Wales excluding the Sydney Division The Coastal Divisions of Hunter Gosfordshy
Wyong and lllawarra in what is sometimes referred to as the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong
conurbation were allotted four one and two sites respectively based on their relative
populations Eight of the remaining nine statistical subdivisions were allotted one site each
The far West Statistical Division was dropped from the surveys after 1990 when only 112
cyclists were observed It is noted that the Far West has a much smaller population than the
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 4
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
other divisions The towns and sites surveyed are shown in table 23 The terminology of
inner rural and outer rural follows that used in previous reports Although as was noted in the
1992 report the cities of Newcastle and Wollongong cannot really be described as rural
Table 23 Road Intersection Sitesmiddot Outside Sydney
STATISTICAL DIVISION
CITY frOWN ROAD INTERSECTION
Hunter NEWCASTIE Stuan st I Glebe st Pacific HighwayDudley rd Hunter st Union rd
LAKE MACQUARIE Croudace Bay rd I Regal S1
Illawara WOLLONGONG Princes Highway I London Dr Cliff Rd I Bourke rd
Murray ALBURY David st I Guinea st
i Central West BATIIURST William stl Russell st
North Western DUBBO Wingewarra I Darling siS
Mid North Coast GRAFfON Prince stl Fitzroy st
Richmond - Tweed
South Eastern
LISMORE c~
QUEANBEYAN
Ballina I Molesworth SiS
Monro stLowe st
Northern TAMWORTH Edward St I Vera St
Murrumbidgee WAGGAWAGGA Sturt Highway I Bourke st
Figure 21 shows the location of sites in rural NSW It should be noted that Australian rural
towns are not homogeneous thus the choice of a particular town to represent a broad
statistical division is problematical In particular it will be invalid to estimate ridership in the
division as a whole based on that in a town survey Not only will there be considerable
differences between towns and cities in anyone subdivision based on population and layout
and the towns activities but also between the rural population centred on the town and those
who actually dwell in the town
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 5
c __bullbullbullbullbullbull _______________________
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 21 Rural Sites in NSW Statistical Divisions
bull W
~
~ ~~~-- ~~~~-~ T- ~~ t
~ ~ -= - - ~-
deg1HORTHtliH- - ~
2 FAR WEST
1 HORTH --WtSTtRH
-
212 School Locations Once again replicating the sites surveyed in 1992 sixteen primary schools and nineteen
secondary schools were monitored in the Sydney area six primary and six secondary in the
Inner Rural area and seven primary and seven secondary schools in the Outer Rural area
Observations were made either at the main gate or the gate at which most bike riders entered
Table 24 names the schools surveyed in both Sydney and country areas
The schools surveyed were originally sampled demographically Representativeness may be
affected given that the schools were not stratified according to attitudes to bike riding by
teachers and principals as demonstrated by factors such as implementation of Bike Ed
programmes It is possible that such attitudes changed over time which may confound
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 6
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
interpretation of changes in behaviour based on introduction of helmet wearing laws For
instance there were no child riders observed at Matraville primary school in 1993 because
riding to school is now banned (one teacher rode) Low ridership was recorded at several
schools in the previous survey (Walker 1992 Table 14)
T bl 2 4 S hiS S d vandRuraIAreasa e c 00 des In y ne CITY I TOWN
Sydney
Gosford-Wyong
Newcastle Wollongong
Bathurst Dubbo Grafton Lismore Nazromine Queanbeyan WaggaWagga
AREA
North
South
East
West
PRIMARY
Gordon East Hornsby South Lindfield Lindfield East Manly North Rocks St Ives North
GymeaBay
MatraviHe
Ashcroft Baulkham HiDs Chest Hill North Fairfield Heights Georges Hall Hoxton Park Minto
Erina Brooke St Hamilton South Albion Park Fairy Meadow
Bathurst West Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine Queanbeyan Lake Albert
SECONDARY
Chatswood Freshwater KilIara Ku-Ring-Gai StIves
Sylvania
Matraville
Airds Ashcroft Bass High (Bass Hill) Casula Chester Hill Crestwood High Colyton Fairfield Kingsgrove Kingsgrove North Lumea Merrylands
Erina The Entrance High Newcastle High Albion Park Keira Boys High
Bathurst Dubbo South Grafton Lismore Narromine West Queanbeyan Kooringal
It should also be noted that only government schools have been included in the school sample
replicated in this survey Victorian research (Cameron et al1992) has found a significantly
higher level of helmet wearing among non-government school children associated with more
extensive implementation of Bike Ed programmes
Institute of Transport Studiesmiddot Sydney September 1993 page 7
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
213 RecreationalArea Locations
Twenty-three recreational areas such as parks beaches and bike tracks chosen as
observational sites previously were again surveyed The sites had been chosen by LGA (12)
in the Sydney area at seven of the eight rural towns where road surveys were conducted and
in Newcastle Wollongong and Shoalhaven beach in the Illawarra area Since the main aim of
the recreational area surveys had been to contrast childrens helmet wearing rates at play to
their rates on road or when commuting to school the sites had been specifically chosen as
places which might reasonably be expected to attract child cyclists The sites are listeo in
table 25 Figure 22 shows the location of both Recreational and Road survey sites in the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Table 25 Recreation Area Sites in Sydney and Rural Locations AREA ISITE NAME SITE DETAILS
SYDNEY Bankstown Belmore Sports Ground Area at entrance
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills shopping centre Bike rack at Seven Hills amp Windsor Rds Liverpool Bradbury Oval near the skate board rink Hornsby Wahroonga Park entrance to park Hunters Hill Buffalo Creek Reserve barbecue across track from entrance Manly Queenscliffe bicycle path near the Queenscliff surf club Mosman Balmoral Beach promenade nearest point to the island Parrarnaua Parramaua Park entrance road to park Penrith Penrith Pool outside entrance to the pool St George Carrs Park seat near the bicycle track Sutherland Como Bridge bike track Oatley side where bike track begins Woollahra Centennial Park Inside entrance crn Oxford St-Lang Rd
INNER RURAL Newcastle Bar beach middle section of road along the beach Newcastle Larnbton Pool Outside entrance Wollongong Wollongong Bike Path Near Fairy Creek Bridge Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Beach Near Surf Club
OlITER RURAL Albury Basket Ball Stadium Outside main entrance
Bathurst Durham St TennisBasketball At entrance to area
Dubbo McDonalds Dubbo In front car park
Grafton Fisher Park near Oliver and Villiers intersection Lismore Video Flick Store Outside entrance
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan Bowling Alley Outside entrance Wagga Wagga Bolton Park Complex Morgan st Near pool entrance
Lack of site maps showing exact location of observers in previous surveys meant that whilst
care was taken to replicate the observational sites as closely as possible and we can be cenain
that this was done in the road and school surveys the very nature of some of the recreation
sites meant it was impossible to be cenain that observations were made from the same angle
as in the previous survey However differences in counts due to this are probably less
significant than those due to differences in weather between surveys and particular events for
instance Belmore Park which is located next to Belmore spons ground happened to be
crowded with supponers for a Canterbury Rugby League home game on the survey Sunday
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 8
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
Figure 22 Road and Recreational Area Sites in Sydney Area
BOTANY BAY
To Sutherland sites shyRoad Sites bull Recreation sites bull
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 9
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
214 Survey Times
The dates and times of survey again coincide as closely as possible with the previous surveys
The road and recreational surveys were carried out on April 15 17 and 18 being the
Thursday Saturday and Sunday after the Easter religious public holiday which fell within the
Easter School holidays These were the only days comparable to the holiday days chosen for
1992 as the school holidays were shorter in 1993 than in that year The exact observation
times are listed in tables 26 and 27
Table 26 Recreation site times
Thursday Saturday amp Sunday 8am - 9am break Warn shy llam break 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm
Table 27 Road site times
Thursday and Saturday Sunday 6am -7am 6am -7am 7am - 8am 7am - 8am 8am - 9am break break Warn - 11am Warn - 11am break break 3pm - 4pm 3pm - 4pm break 5pm - 6pm 6pm -7pm break 8pm - 9pm
The Easter holiday period was originally chosen to survey recreational sites and it was felt
that road surveys should be carried out at the same time It should be noted however both that
there is a general decline in commuter traffic during holiday periods and a complete absence
of University and TAFE college students who are a large ridership especially in some areas
For instance local residents told the survey observer at the Como Bike path that it was usually
very busy with cyclists going to the nearby St George Campus of University of NSW
The school surveys were carried out in the week before Easter the week after and in a few
cases the following week The earlier Easter dates in 1993 made it impossible to complete all
of the surveys before Easter given the commissioning date of the survey Rain in some areas
also delayed surveys The actual observation times varied from school to school as they were
set as the hour before school commenced and the hour after school was dismissed There was
a very wide range of school start and finish times
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 10
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp MiJthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
215 Survey weather
The 1992 survey reported fine and sunny weather on the recreational and road survey days
The weather for the school surveys was not reported but since there were several delays due
to bad weather it was unlikely to have been fine and sunny in all cases The observational
survey was to be cancelled in case of rain but although it would be ideal to match weather
conditions across years the combined requirements to match dates in school holidays and to
survey all areas of the state on the same days precluded selection of a fine sunny day in each
survey location Thus differences in weather conditions may need to be taken into account
when making comparisons with 1992 findings
We asked observers to record their opinion of the weather under three headings -sky sunnysome cloudovercast -temperature hotlwarmcooVcold -wind stilVsome breezewindy
The objective was not to obtain a meteorological report indtaed we were seeking the sort of
subjective judgement a cyclist might make in appraising the weather Figure 23 gives an
overall view of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the survey days
Figure 23 Proportion of sites by weather on each survey day
Thursday Saturday Sunday
Sky
o sunny o some cloud bull overcasle
Temperature
bull bot 0 wann III cool bull cold
Wind
o still 0 some breeze I
Changes in weather were also recorded These observations are useful because main survey
days April 1517 and 18 were days with variable weather both throughout the day across
NSW and even within the Sydney area Fortunately although rain threatened very little
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 11
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing Smith amp Milthorpe
survey time was lost except in Lismore where it rained on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16
April
Rainy weather is known to reduce cycling for commuting and for other travel purposes (eg
Keay (1992raquo Intuition suggests that recreational cycling in particular may be more likely to
appeal on a sunny day than a cold cloudy and windy day Figure 23 gives an overall view
of the weather conditions at the 23 recreational survey sites on the three survey days
22 WHAT WAS SURVEYED
221 Information Recorded
The survey brief required collection of all the information recorded in previous surveys In
addition extra information concerning weather as mentioned above exact site location and
observer comments were recorded This information was recorded on a log sheet filled in at
the start of a shift The example log from the survey training notes is in Appendix 2
Having completed the log sheet the survey officer noted the following details for each rider
For all surveys HELMET shy correct
3 possible ways of incorrect on back of head strap loose strap undone carried or none
AGES- under 6 really young 6 - 9 younger primary 10 - 12 older primary 13 - 15 young high school 16 - 19 old high school
Then (except in the schools surveys) 20 - 29 young adults 30 - 45 middle age 46 + older cyclists
GENDER - male I female
For the Road and Recreational Sites GEAR - Bike shorts (lycra type) Bike shoes Backpack Panniers
For Road Sites
APPROACH ROAD shythe road the rider is coming from into the intersection
WRONG RIDING - relates to riding behaviour
wrong part of road - unless turning right should keep to the left hand side of
the road or in laned roads ride anywhere in the left hand lane
against traffic - riding on the wrong side of the road (but not if on the
footpath on wrong side of road)
Institule of Transport Studies - Sydney Seplember 1993 page 12
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
on footpath - unless there is a sign saying footpath riding permitted If the
side of the road is an extensive grassed area or parkland the area within one
metre of the road counts as footpath for this law
3+ abreast - if 3 or more cyclists are riding side by side all are breaking the
law ( unless one is overtaking two riders)
no hands - neither hand on handlebars
no feet - neither foot on pedals
front doubling - carrying a passenger on the handlebars or cross bars
(note carrying a person on the back of the bike is legal in NSW)
Too large a load - such a large amount of luggage that the cyclist cant see
or bicycle handling significantly impaired
HAND SIGNALS shystops - if stops gives stop signal - if gives stop signal by raising right hand turns - if turn left or right gives turn signal - if gives appropriate turn signal by extending arm
The next two sets of observations were made only if stop signs or lights were installed at the
intersection
STOP SIGN stops - if stops rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
RED LIGHT stops - note if stop rides through - if doesnt stop must ride through
The final observations only applied at night after street lights are lit this was about 53Opm in
most places at survey time
AT NIGHT No front light - should have a white front light No rear light - should have a red rear light No reflector - should have a red rear reflector
The only significant difference between these and the 1992 observations was that in the 1992
survey observers were asked to classify on road adult cyclists as commuters if carrying a
backpack serious cyclists if dressed in cycling clothes (including shoes) but not carrying
luggage and a recreational cyclist otherwise It was considered that more flexibility and
accuracy in interpretation of such categorisation would be achieved by actually recording the
distinguishing characteristics such as luggage carried and clothing cycling shorts and shoes
worn Categories from previous surveys can still be matched and other definitions tested A
further difference was in classification of age by the observer on site rather than a guess at
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 13
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
actual age The observer was asked to classify cyclists into the categories used for coding
purposes in the previous survey_ A factor in using categories rather than actual ages is the
difficulty in guessing ages of cyclists particularly if wearing helmets
222 Design
The fonn design was changed to make the recording task easier The observers were not
required to remember codes or look up codes Rather they had simply to mark a 1 where
required or to avoid delays in deciding for instance age group or gender where it wasnt
obvious a 1 Both survey fonns and log sheets were colour coded The road survey
observation fonns were blue on white the corresponding log sheets blue the recreation fonns
green on white with green logs and the school fonns black on white with a yellow log sheet
The road survey form is included in Appendix 2 As mentioned above all riding behaviour of
interest was observed at road intersections Recreation sites were checked for a subset of onshy
road behaviours and at school gates yet a smaller subset of law compliance and rider
characteristics behaviour was observed
Special attention was paid to fonn design It is considered that even for reporting fonns in
observational surveys quality design reduces and hopefully eliminates recording errors Just
as importantly it improves the recorders morale by demonstrating the professional approach
of the survey principals to the project
23 CONDUCT OF THE SURVEY 231 Field team
Specification of country town sites meant people were required at distant and diverse
locations not only on a weekday with a days break before a weekend but then for two separate
days in the following week after resumption of school chosen to exclude atypical days such
as fITst day back at school or sports days It was ideal therefore to use observers who actually
live in the towns to be surveyed
The major requirements for observational survey workers are intelligence diligence and
honesty The latter is the overiding requirement since an observer alone at a site has the
option of inventing rather than observing Diligence is nearly as important as honesty given
that concentration must be kept up during extended observational periods The charity
organisation Bikes For Bibles was invited to provide the observers needed for the survey as a
fund raising activity Bikes for Bibles are a large organisation of young adults who take part
in charity bikeathons to raise money for world literacy programs They have members
throughout rural NSW who are well versed in road rules as applicable to bicyclists including
correct helmet wearing The survey benefited from the local knowledge of the Bikes for
Bibles representatives in country towns in particular This assisted in for instance avoiding
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 14
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp Milthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
choosing a survey day when school children were away at a sports carnivaL
Field supervisors who visited the sites to oversee the field work were very impressed with the
dedication of observer teams
232 Training
Training is important for all survey teams and extremely important in this case where some
observers had not been involved in survey work before Extensive training notes were
provided including not only instructions about filling out the forms but also answering
questions about dress where when to sit etc Observers in the Sydney area attended a half
day training session where both the purpose of the survey was explained and the processes
required explained in careful detail
A training video following the training session format but filmed in studio was sent to each of
the country areas In Newcastle and Wollongong this video was used as a resource for group
training sessions by field supervisors
233 Survey kits
Comprehensive kits containing clipboard pens training notes identification badge and
University contact were provided for all observers Indentification was required in case
survey workers presence was questioned Letters were sent to all relevant school principals
advising that school transport surveys would be carried out at their school gates
Surveys forms were designed as mentioned above to be easily completed For further ease of
handling forms were provided to each observer in envelopes bearing details of the site and
times for observations to be made
234 Coding Data entry and Analysis
Forms for each site and time were delivered to ITS by survey co-ordinators directly or from
country areas by maiL The survey forms were edit checked by hand and their contents
including all comments were entered into a data base The data was transferred to the
statistical analysis program SPSS subjected to computer validation checks for consistency
then tables in a fonn consistent with those in previous studies were produced
Further details of the conduct of the survey including training notes coding instructions
exact site locations and site by site survey results are provided in the survey field report
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 15
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16
Smith amp MiIthorpe Survey of Law Compliance and Helmet Wearing
3 THE SURVEY RESULTS 31 NUMBER OF RIDERS
The RT A commissioned the series of observational surveys primarily to monitor the effect of
compulsory helmet legislation on both ridership and helmet wearing across age groups and
throughout NSW but with particular emphasis of the impact on cyclists aged less than sixteen
years Thus it was decided in earlier surveys that it was particularly important to monitor the
same sites at similar times in each survey_ It would have been ideal to conduct a panel study
checking the same people over time but such studies are very expensive if conducted on a
state wide basis By repeat surveying of sites it is hoped that the same sort of people in
socioeconomic terms will be observed as a proxy for observing the same people Table 31
shows number of riders observed in the three surveys 1991 1992 1993 The 1991 and 1992
figures come from Walker (1992) Table 9
Table 31 Riders Observed in 1991 1992 and 1993 SITE TYPE AREA NUMBER RIDERS RIDERS RIDERS CHANGE
OF SITES 1991 1992 1993
ADULTS
Road Intersections Sydney 25 3332 2796 2591 -7 Rural 14 2146 1933 1436 -26 Albury 1 256 - 224
Recreation Sydney 12 - 911 1345 48 Rural 10 - 545 1293 137 Albury 1993 I - 33
Miscellaneous 1095 - -
Totals (Adults) 63 6829 6185 6922 8 on sample in
common CHllDREN
Road Intersections Sydney 25 1073 633 488 -23
Rural 14 668 555 393 -29
Albury 1 41 - 64
Recreation Sydney 12 1024 785 749 -5 Rural 11 718 451 435 -4
Albury 1 157 - 21
Primary Schools Sydney 16 238 179 120 -33
Rural 12 627 392 462 1
High Schools Sydney 20 904 428 294 -Rural 12 1338 781 772
Totals 123 6788 4234 3798 -12 (Children) on sample in
common ALL
TOTAL ALL 123 13617 10419 10720 -04 on sample in
common
Institute of Transport Studies - Sydney September 1993 page 16