The Department of State Growth is progressively auditing popular motorcycle touring routes around Tasmania.

Safe System Motorcycle Safety Audits aim to identify low-cost, corridor-wide infrastructure treatments that will help reduce the risk of fatal and serious injury crashes occurring on key touring routes. Treatments identified by these audits will also improve the 'legibility' of each route by providing widespread and consistent information on hazards.

Each audit brings together experienced motorcyclists, road safety experts and road managers to collaboratively identify solutions that best improve road safety outcomes for motorcyclists. Touring routes are an important focus, as visiting motorcyclists represent more than 40 per cent of non-Tasmanians fatally or seriously injured on Tasmanian roads.

Audit routes have been identified based on crash data, and each audit provides an opportunity for key motorcycle stakeholders to provide input on where the next audit should take place.

On 28 September 2024, the Lyell Highway, between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown, was audited as part of this initiative.

This route was identified as a suitable touring route to conduct a road safety audit given its crash history. In the last 10 years, there have been 26 crashes involving motorcycles, seven of which involved serious injuries. 70 per cent of the crashes over that period of time were non-Tasmanian licence holders, demonstrating its popularity as a touring route.

The Department of State Growth will conduct a motorcycle community survey prior to the installation of any treatments on the route. Motorcyclist community surveys help facilitate and evaluate these audits by providing feedback on the audited route prior to and after the implementation of infrastructure treatments. A post implementation survey will be available following completion of the treatment works.