Riding solo

Editorial: Cassandra Stanghi

Photography: Brendan McCarthy

Home to spectacular beaches and the winding, picturesque Great Ocean Road, the Geelong and Surf Coast region is now also home to two new police motorcycles.

The new additions to the local Highway Patrol fleet will give police an added tool in its road safety arsenal, helping them minimise road trauma in the area.

Well-regarded for their ability to manoeuvre tight surrounds and allow police a closer view of road users behaving badly, Greater Geelong Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Craig Stevens said the bikes and their unique abilities are essential for road policing in the local area.

“We have a very unique area with some roads that can be difficult to police in a car due to narrow lanes, tight bends and blind turns,” Sen Sgt Stevens said.

“The agility of the bikes means you can complete U-turns to intercept vehicles in no space at all or pull up to tap on the window of a driver using their phone in traffic.”

After a spate of motorcycle collisions in the area and some observed challenges in detecting distraction, seatbelt and speeding offences, the local unit sourced two motorcycles, also known as solos, to trial temporarily in December 2020.

“It had been seven years since we had solos dedicated to our unit, so we were really happy to have them back,” Sen Sgt Stevens said.

“The results of the trial were outstanding and led us to apply for some bikes on a permanent basis.”

The team held on to the temporary bikes while waiting for the permanent solos to arrive, and the positive results continued.

In the initial 12-month period, there was a 39 per cent increase in speed and seatbelt offence enforcement and a 26 per cent increase in distraction offences detected.

Solo rider Acting Sergeant Justin Holland said the initial success of the bikes, and a worrying motorcycle collision statistic inspired him to develop a dedicated operation to engage and have conversations about safety with the motorcyclist community.

“We were seeing that 84 per cent of motorcycle collisions in our area were single vehicle collisions, which told me that a lot of these riders are unfamiliar with the roads and riding outside their ability,” A/Sgt Holland said.

“Operation Rider gave us the opportunity to carve out some dedicated time to not only check safety compliance but also have really productive conversations about safety with the motorcyclist community.”

Throughout Operation Rider, police solo members regularly engaged with groups of up to 30 recreational riders, usually while they were already pulled over for food or coffee stops.

A common concern was being out of practice after Victoria’s COVID lockdowns, when many recreational riders had their bikes out of action for months at a time.

“As much as the old analogy of ‘it’s like riding a bike’ is thrown around, unfortunately that’s not the case,” A/Sgt Holland said.

“It’s a perishable skill and, if you haven’t gone for a ride in a few months, it’s easy to forget the little tips and tricks to stay safe and in control.”

In April 2022, Sen Sgt Stevens and A/Sgt Holland were thrilled to welcome their two new and highly-anticipated solos to the Geelong Highway Patrol fleet.

“There was definitely a bit of a Christmas morning feel to the day with a lot of buzz around the office,” Sen Sgt Stevens said.

“We have four very keen riders at the moment and more coming on board soon so we can have the solos out on the road for as many shifts as possible.”

The unit plans to continue working withthe community to ensure the safest possible environment for all road users, with solo riders particularly focused on motorcyclists.

“All of us solo riders are motorbike enthusiasts ourselves, so that gives us credibility with other riders and the feedback we’ve had from the community has been excellent,” A/Sgt Holland said.

“It’s important for us to make it clear that we’re not here to ruin their ride, but to make sure everyone can enjoy themselves and still get home to their loved ones in one piece.”

Driving trauma down

With motorcyclists accounting for one in five lives lost on Victorian roads so far this year, initiatives to prioritise motorcyclist safety, including those underway in Greater Geelong, have never been timelier.

Sadly, the broader picture of road trauma across Victoria is equally sombre.

Among other over-represented road user cohorts involved in fatal collisions are pedestrians, with 28 killed before August this year, almost double the number at the same time in 2021.

Speed, impaired driving, distraction, seatbelt noncompliance and fatigue continue to significantly contribute to serious injuries and deaths on Victorian roads.

Police are working hard to deter people from engaging in these high-risk behaviours by expanding drug testing capabilities to more operational units and increasing enforcement activity in high-risk locations identified by enhanced intelligence practices.

Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said Victoria Police is committed to minimising road trauma across the state and will continue to hold offenders to account.

“Whether you’re in a car, on a bike or using the road as a pedestrian, we will keep doing everything we can to keep you safe – including targeting and enforcing against those who engage in risky behaviour on our roads,” AC Weir said.

“Even one life lost is one too many and a single bad decision is all it takes to cause a tragedy.”

*All statistics current as of 31 July 2022

Image: Leading Senior Constable Sven Bartels and Senior Constable Paul Trentini patrol the Greater Geelong area on new police motorcycles, the latest additions to the local road policing fleet.