Image: Photo: Wikicommons.
BY JACK SMITH
Rates of commuting by cycling in the Sydney CBD are comparatively low against other capital cities, according to Bicycle Network’s new website, Bike Account.
The City of Sydney’s LGA ranked 17th on the list for all major cities in Australia for proportion of bike riders riding to work, far behind places like Marrickville, Melbourne and Port Philip.
Bicycle Network, a advocacy group promoting the benefits of cycling, collated the information to “inform citizens” about cycling statistics.
The group’s chief external relations officer, Chris Carpenter, said that Sydney was not seeing a “boom in bike riding” due to lacking infrastructure.
Bike Account showed that Sydney’s congestion has the highest avoidable costs if more bicycle infrastructure were built, with a possible $7 billion in savings.
The website’s research indicates that spending more on infrastructure development increased cycling rates.
Mr Carpenter said that most councils and governments at least “boasted ambitions” for improving cycling facilities.
“However when the plans are mere window dressing, with little commitment for change, progress stalls. What communities need is a public and transparent approach to monitor, measure and report on the development of bike riding—and that’s what our Bike Account does.”
He said riding a bike to work could be a good way to offset the low levels of physical activity. Bike Account’s figures mirror comments made by Bike Sydney’s David Borella to City Hub earlier this month.
“It’s clear that the design of CBD cycle ways – which the RMS clearly took over – needs to be transferred to either the City of Sydney or Transport for NSW or even NSW Health or the Greater Sydney Commission,” Mr Borella said.
He added that a “modern approach” was needed, which would incorporate all users and keep “Sydney agile”.
