Reporting an incident or hazard

When lodging a hazard report, try to be as specific as possible about the location to aid the repair process.

Please note: The Department of Transport does not own the cycling infrastructure.

The online hazard report form will assist in forwarding the information to the relevant local government authority or Main Roads WA (for shared paths along railway lines or major roads and freeways).

Hazards on railway tracks or at stations

For hazards on shared paths at railway tracks or at stations, please inform the Public Transport Authority (PTA) by contacting them directly via the link below.

Hazards on shared paths along railway lines or major roads and freeways

Hazards on Principal Shared Paths along railway lines or major roads and freeways should be reported to Main Roads through the hazard report form, or directly via the link below.

Other hazards in Perth and regional WA

For traffic lights and hazards on roads please inform Main Roads WA via the link below.

Any other hazards should be reported to the local government responsible for the area.

The hazard report form can be used to report hazards in the Perth metropolitan area (including Mandurah). The Local government boundaries map at the end of this section will help you determine which metropolitan local government is responsible for the different sections of the Perth Bicycle Network infrastructure.

Even the best cycling infrastructure requires regular upkeep, as potholes, cracks, sand and other hazards can appear overnight after heavy rain or strong winds.

Community feedback is vital in helping keep these facilities safe and well-maintained. Don't assume someone else will report a particular problem. It only takes a couple minutes to lodge a hazard report.

Some examples of hazards that should be reported are:

• Bumps or cracks in a path surface due to the encroachment of tree roots.
• Bicycle sensors at traffic lights.
• Badly positioned drainage grates or grab rails.
• Broken glass and overhanging branches.
• Caltrop or doublegee plants, which can puncture bike tyres.

Obstructions on a shared path should also be reported to your local rangers. These include:

• Parked cars.
• Skip bins.
• Wheelie bins.

For more information, please download the following fact sheets.

Timely reporting of incidents from the community may represent vital information to identify weaknesses in the bicycle network and enable future improvement.

The driver of a vehicle and/or rider of a bicycle must report a traffic crash to the Police when the incident has occurred on a road or any place commonly used by the public (e.g. car parks) and the:

• Incident resulted in bodily harm to any person.
• Total value of property damaged to all involved parties exceeds $3,000.
• Owner or representative of any damaged property is not present.

Your Motor Injury Insurance Policy is printed on the back of your vehicle registration (“rego”) and is paid for when a vehicle is registered with the Department of Transport. Two insurance products make up the motor injury insurance policy: Compulsory Third Party (CTP) and Catastrophic Injuries Support (CIS).

The CTP policy covers the driver or owner of a vehicle for injuries they cause to others in a motor vehicle crash anywhere in Australia and the CIS policy covers a person for a catastrophic injury caused in a motor vehicle crash.

The Insurance Commission of Western Australia states that: “For cyclists, compensation is paid only if the driver of a Western Australian vehicle is fully or partly at fault in a motor vehicle accident with the cyclist.” (2014 Press Release Archive: ICWA).

The rider of a bicycle involved in a crash with a motor vehicle can report the incident through the Online Crash Reporting Facility (see link below).

Currently there is no online reporting facility available that enables incidents not involving a motor vehicle(s) to be reported. DoT is in the process of investigating the development of an Online Cycling Incident Reporting Facility that could capture these types of incidents. In the meantime, DoT encourages people to report such incidents directly to WA Police, especially if deemed mandatory due the nature of the incident.