Cyclists' Safety - During School Hours

By Alexander Sund and Eleanor Weaver, Bond University Journalism students

A cyclist collided with a vehicle on University Drive at about 7.50am last Monday, which has sparked concern for safety on the roads.

Varsity College student Clay Windon said safety was a problem for both drivers and cyclists.

“My best friend ... got hit by a car and broke his leg,” he said.

“Some people just don’t seem to care about speed zones or safety rules.”

A 40km per hour speed limit is in force between 7.30am to 9am and from 2.30pm to 3.30pm on weekdays.

Varsity Lakes resident Stephanie James said she did not believe drivers paid attention to speed restrictions.

“Barely anyone does 40km per hour in the area,” she said.

“People just blitz through and I’ve seen children on bikes almost hit by cars that just speed off and ignore them.”

Regional traffic coordinator for the south eastern police region, inspector Geoff Palmer said road safety and the reduction of road trauma was a major objective.

“Gold Coast Police regularly run traffic operations aimed at reducing road crashes and traffic incidents across the district,” he said.

“Police also regularly target school areas for traffic offences.

“The safety of school children is paramount and police regularly conduct enforcement campaigns in and around school areas.”

Police run operations on random sites across the Gold Coast including the Varsity Lakes area.