2017-03-20
Just over a week ago in my electorate a young mother of two, Arzu Baglar, was killed while riding her bike. She was riding through Yarraville and was hit by a truck and died at the scene. My deepest condolences go out to Arzu's family, particularly her young children and her husband. I also have great sympathy for the driver who was involved, because this is a very difficult situation. Arzu's death is a tragedy, but it was not a freak accident. It is what we feared would happen sooner or later.
In the wake of Arzu's death more than 200 mourners gathered in Yarraville and embarked on a memorial bike ride to Williamstown to complete her journey, which she was never able to finish. I know that the inbox of Luke Donnellan, the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, has been flooded with personal messages from community members who are fed up risking their lives every time they get on their bike.
In an era in which traffic congestion is at its peak, air pollution is at dangerous levels and our lifestyles are becoming ever more inactive, the Andrews government should be doing everything it can to get more people onto bikes as well as walking and exercising. I encourage the government to take urgent action and boost funding for safe bike routes, particularly in the inner west, where people are forced to ride their bikes alongside massive trucks. Everyone deserves to make it home alive, and I want to make sure that what happened to Arzu never happens again.