Footscray police will soon be cracking down on pedestrians and cyclists in a bid to cut the number of injuries and deaths occurring on the roads.
From the start of August, uniform and plainclothes operations will target hotspots from Yarraville to Maribyrnong in an effort to change behaviour and get the road safety message through.
Acting Senior Sergeant Rebecca Marshall (pictured) said pedestrians and cyclists were over-represented in local road accidents resulting in death or injury. “They account for more than 40 per cent of our injuries, which is really high,” she said. “Five of our last nine fatalities have been pedestrians and bike riders.”
Acting Senior Sergeant Marshall said Melbourne’s inner-west had high traffic volumes and a lot of people also rode bikes and walked to work.
The first stage of the blitz will be highly visible, involving police in uniforms handing out road safety brochures in various languages.
“When we start out, we’re going to be warning people, but the next stage will be having police in plain clothes and giving out tickets,” Acting Senior Sergeant Marshall said.
“It’s about education, getting people paying attention or off their phones.”
The three-month operation will be rolled out across the Victoria University education precincts, around Highpoint in Maribyrnong, throughout the Footscray CBD and around busy cycling routes in Footscray and Yarraville.
