Have your say on “cyclists ahead” warning sign

A SURVEY about the cyclist warning signs on Deans Marsh-Lorne Road closes this weekend, but a local action group is questioning the usefulness of the survey as well as the signs themselves.

Installed in late 2016 by the Amy Gillett Foundation for a 12-month trial on the narrow road near Lorne, the “cyclists ahead” signs (one at the bottom of the hill and one halfway up) are triggered by passing cyclists and go into standby mode for the time it takes for a cyclist to reach the next sign.

The signs are then activated by cars or motorbikes, warning them that there are cyclists on the climb.

The AGF launched an online survey in late March to gather feedback on the signs, but Deans Marsh-Lorne Road (DMLR) Safety Group member Juliet Beatty questioned the timing, saying the two-week survey should run for at least six weeks as it started the day before the start of school holidays and many families would be away.

Ms Beatty said the cyclist warning signs did not always work and the DMLR Safety Group did not support them.

“If the survey (result) is positive, these warning signs could be appearing on other roads in the state.

“Since the erection of the signs, there has been vigorous debate as to their reliability.

“This fault has been confirmed by researchers both in Australia and overseas, who concluded that the risk of driver ‘conditioning’ by the malfunctioning of such signs increases rather than lessens hazards to cyclists.”

The survey closes on Sunday, April 15.

To complete the survey, head to surveymonkey.com/r/AGF-DMLRSignEvaluation.