Victoria remains the only state without minimum passing distance laws for cyclists, leaving advocates for the proposed law scratching their heads.
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Last year, a parliamentary inquiry examined whether a one-metre distance should be introduced to increase the safety of Victorian cyclists.
This legislation would follow trend, as New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, ACT, Western Australia, and Queensland, all either have similar legislation in place, or are trailing minimum passing distance laws.
Ballarat local and co-founder of the Amy Gillett Foundation, Simon Gillett, said it’s disappointing that Victoria is lagging behind the other states.
“(Not having universal passing laws) is putting everyone on the road in danger,” Mr Gillett said.
“It means that when Victorian drivers drive interstate, they may not know what to do, and when interstate drivers come here, they might leave a meter and subsequently break our laws.”
Mr Gillett co-founded the foundation after his wife, Amy Gillet, a champion track cyclist and rower, was struck by a car and killed while cycling in Germany.
The foundation has been working closely with the TAC, as well as compiling lots of research in New South Wales and Tasmania, to help develop legislation that may help save lives on the road.
“Our biggest goal is to get Victoria in line with the rest of the country in terms of minimum passing distance for cyclists.”
The foundation will also be running “Amy’s Gran Fondo” for it’s eighth consecutive year.
The event is the largest regional sporting event in the state economically, bringing ten’s of thousands of people to Victoria’s surf coast.
More than 4,000 cyclists of all abilities and ages are expected to hit The Great Ocean Road for the ride that spans from Lorne to Apollo Bay.
Ballarat local Matt Kirwan-Hamilton has participated in the last six iterations of the event, and spoke glowingly about the foundation.
“I first joined the event as a participant, just because I like the route it took, but as I got more involved with the foundation, and got to know Simon Gillett, I decided I wanted to be a part of making our roads safer for cyclists,” Mr Kirwan-Hamilton said.
This years event is aiming to raise $130,000 dollars towards furthering cyclist safety and education on our roads.
The event provides the unique experience to ride on one of the most iconic stretches of coastline the world has to offer, fully closed to road traffic.
The event takes place from 15 September, with entries closing next Wednesday.
For more information, visit amysgranfondo.org.au
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