Bizarre bikeway allegations dismissed
Image: Who owns these mint condition bikes outside IGA Pyrmont?
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has dismissed extraordinary allegations made by a City of Sydney councillor concerning the City’s cycleways.
Councillor Angela Vithoulkas claims the City may be promoting its controversial cycleways by placing new bicycles at strategic locations around the local government area (LGA).
Ms Vithoulkas says new bikes are being chained up at bike racks across the LGA as a “soft promotional tool” to “normalise” cycling.
“I’m concerned about the possibility of Council spending money on a social engineering project to promote cycleways,” she said.
“I’m not anti-cycling by any means – bikes are a wonderful invention which provide many community benefits. But bikeways should be built in response to demand, not the other way around.
“It is wrong if the City is spending public money on secret promotional activities to normalise cycling.”
The Lord Mayor appears to be treating the allegations as a silly season stunt by an opposition councillor.
She declined to issue a personal response but a spokesperson said: “These allegations are entirely untrue.”
The spokesperson said the idea was particularly bizarre considering cycling was a popular, fast-growing activity in the Sydney LGA.
“As we build safe, separated bike lanes, the numbers of riders grow, and we’ve had faster growth in riding here than in any comparable city in the world.”
City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone and Manager of the City’s Cycling Strategy Fiona Campbell also dismissed Cr Vithoulkas’ claims. But Ms Vithoulkas insists there are unused bikes chained up in Potts Point, Pyrmont and Surry Hills, in mint condition and often fitted with identical bike locks, baskets and bells.
Ms Vithoulkas said the Living Sydney party had been monitoring the situation “for some time” and a pair of bikes chained to City bike racks outside the Pyrmont IGA supermarket had been there “for at least six months”.
“No-one uses them, they never go anywhere. They’re brand new and from the tyres it looks like they haven’t been ridden even once.
“The only thing that happens is the basket which is on one of the bikes fills up with rubbish over time, until someone – I don’t know who – cleans it out.”
When City News visited the bikes in question, staff at Pyrmont IGA said they, too, were mystified by the ever-present bikes.
Ms Vithoulkas said: “Anything is possible when it comes to our bicycle-mad Lord Mayor.
“If the City itself isn’t placing them around town, I suspect a PR or marketing company acting on the City’s behalf.”
But a spokesperson for the Lord Mayor was adamant that was not possible either, adding to the mystery of just who is behind Sydney’s phantom bikes.
Ms Vithoulkas denied the bikes were associated with her or the Living Sydney party.
“No, we didn’t put them there,” she said. “They’re nothing to do with us.”
