Evaluation of the Motorcycle Blackspot Program

Victoria collects a Motorcycle Safety Levy from all registered motorcycles from which a portion of funds is directed into a Motorcycle Blackspot Program (MBP) which funds treatments to improve motorcycle safety at locations throughout the state with a history of motorcycle crashes. Due to the relatively small number of motorcycle crashes, the criteria are different from the normal general blackspot program. According to the brief, since the program commenced in 2003, approximately 170 projects have been completed, divided into three main components: 1. blackspot projects, focussing on individual locations with adverse motorcycle crash histories, e.g. individual curves or intersections; 2. blacklength projects, also based on adverse motorcycle crash histories, which extend beyond a single location but are of limited extent; 3. long route projects, which are pro-active projects intended to improve the consistency of road conditions, guidance and delineation along routes carrying large numbers of motorcycles. Given the high risk associated with motorcycle travel, a robust understanding of the crash reduction effects of the MBP is a high priority. The key questions for the present evaluation were: 1. What were the changes in the number and severity of motorcycle crashes following the roll-out of the MBP? 2. What were the economic benefits of the MBP? 3. How effective were each of the different sub-programs? 4. What were the main factors associated with crash reductions, and which treatments performed best?