NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has told a budget estimates committee hearing he is not convinced there is an effective gap-filling technology available to resolve cycling safety issues on Newcastle's light rail line.
Mr Constance faced a grilling from Labor MPs on Friday over the death of cyclist Danny Egan on the tracks in July and two earlier accidents in which riders broke bones.
Upper house MP Peter Primrose asked Mr Constance how Transport for NSW had responded when Bicycles NSW wrote to the department in April about SafeRails, a plastic insert which could make tracks safer to cross.
"It doesn't take particularly much to work out that the laying of rail on a roadway poses a challenge for cycling, and ... we are going to have to educate cyclists increasingly about the dangers of putting your bicycle tyres into a rail because you can obviously get jammed and fall off," Mr Constance said.
"There's jurisdictions around the world looking at the type of gap-filling technology that can actually go into the actual rail itself to try and stop that.
"I'm not convinced yet that a jurisdiction in the world has come up with the best solution in terms of that technology yet."
The government is conducting a safety review of the light rail line, including the intersection of Pacific and Scott streets, where Mr Egan died. The Coroner is also a conducting an inquest.
Newcastle Cycleways Movement president Sam Reich contributed to the safety audit but said he was yet to see the final draft.
The cycleways movement has written to City of Newcastle and Transport for NSW with recommendations to make the intersection safer, including painted road markings to create a bicycle lane over the tracks and permanent signage.
