WHEN a cyclist passes Jim Luscombe, he only has a matter of seconds to react.
That’s because he has retinitis pigmentosa. Commonly known as tunnel vision, it means Jim has no peripheral vision.
“When I look ahead, I can’t see my feet, side-to-side or up and down.
“Because my field of vision is so restricted, when they zoom in front of me at the last second I’m not sure what is it.
“It could be a cyclist, or a pedestrian, or it could be a car.”
Jim, from Bentleigh, has had his fair share of near-misses – particularly on his way to work at Vision Australia in inner-Melbourne.
“I did cycling as recreation when my vision was better, so I do appreciate the need to get off the roads.
“But the infrastructure is not designed for people on pushbikes and pedestrians. Footpaths aren’t wide enough.”
Jim said it falls to councils to build wider, shared footpaths.
“With overhanging trees, broken footpaths and all sorts of obstacles, adding in fast-moving cyclists just makes it harder for people with low vision.”
As lobbyists call on the Victorian government to let more cyclists ride on footpaths, stories like Jim’s could become more common.
Victoria Walks, the Council on the Ageing and Vision Australia are urging politicians to ignore a recent NSW decision that allows teenagers up to the age of 16 to ride on footpaths.
It comes after new research highlights the dangers for both cyclists and pedestrians.
The report, commissioned by Victoria Walks, found cycling on footpaths increased the risk of collisions.
Vision Australia’s Manager of Government Relations Chris Edwards said the vision-impaired were particularly vulnerable when sharing a footpath with cyclists.
"People who are blind or have low vision rely heavily on walking and accessing public transport to travel independently but feel extremely nervous about doing so in environments that are commonly shared by cyclists,” Mr Edwards said.
"Allowing more cyclists on footpaths will only increase the anxiety felt by people who are blind or have low vision.”
