Regulations requiring drivers to remain more than one metre away from cyclists when overtaking will remain in place in Canberra, following the end of a two-year trial.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As part of the trial, drivers were required to keep a minimum distance of one metre when overtaking a cyclist at under 60km/h, with a distance of 1.5 metres required if a driver is overtaking at more than 60km/h.
Among the other reforms were rules that let cyclists cross pedestrian crossings safely.
The cycling rules, which were introduced in November 2015 following a similar scheme in Queensland, will stay in effect while a review of the trial will be carried out.
Justice Minister Shane Rattenbury said the review of the trial would determine whether the cycling rules would become permanent.
"Data shows that the reforms are improving attitudes among road users about the importance of cyclist safety, so it makes sense for the trial to continue while we further evaluate whether the regulations should be maintained in Canberra permanently," Mr Rattenbury said.
"Now's not the time to get lax around cyclists, but to continue to respect the trial rules."
As part of the review, the ACT government will look into crashes in Canberra that involved cyclists, as well as how the regulations were enforced throughout the trial period.
Information will also be collected on how other vulnerable road users were impacted by the rules that were trialled.
"After the trial, most Canberrans are now aware of these cycling safety measures, which is pleasing," Mr Rattenbury said.
"To make our vision zero a reality, we need everyone to be aware of other road users, particularly vulnerable Canberrans."
Between 2007 and 2016, there were 789 road crashes involving cyclists on Canberra roads.
Out of those, 75 occurred in 2016 - the first full calendar year of the trial - which represented a seven-year low.
Martin Wells from cyclist safety organisation The Amy Gillett Foundation said conditions for cyclists have become safer on the road following the introduction of the "metre matters" regulations.
"We've seen significant evidence that the roads have become safer as a result, with the rules in place as a trial or permanently in every state and territory except for Victoria and the Northern Territory," he said.
"Because [the regulations] are already in place in Canberra, it will become the norm, and there will be no changes in the legislation from the trial to when they become permanent."
Mr Wells said drivers had also become more aware of safe passing distances around cyclists during the course of the trial.
"[The trial] provided motorists with a defined measure in which they can safely pass cyclists. The key driver of the legislation is to make drivers more aware," he said.
During the two-year trial, support for minimum overtaking distances has been on the rise in the Canberra community.
The most recent community survey carried out in October on the cycling rules showed 91 per cent of respondents "somewhat" supported the regulation.
More than half of those surveyed were "completely" supportive, up from 33 per cent in 2015 at the beginning of the trial.