Rain, hail or shine, I’m on my bike. Well maybe not hail but you get what I mean.
As I cycle down the dual use path beside the freeway, whizzing past slow moving columns of cars, I wonder why more people don’t make the switch to cycling. I know that if they did, they’d be healthier, happier, have more energy and wouldn’t have to sit in stop go traffic every day.
A national survey conducted by the Cycling Promotion Fund and the National Heart Foundation of Australia has found more than 62% of Australians want to ride a bike for transport, but their safety fears are keeping them in their cars and their bikes in the shed.
The data, released this week, found that while more than 60% of Australians have access to a bike, almost 70% were not considering cycling for transport in the near future.
Six time Tour de France competitor and Atlanta Olympian, Stephen Hodge, is the spokesperson for the Cycling Promotion Fund and he joined me on 98.5 Sonshine FM this morning to discuss the survey and what can be done to increase the number of people choosing two wheels over four. You can hear the interview by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.
Around 60% of respondents stated they own or have access to a bike.
Two in five respondents that owned or had access to a bike had ridden a bike in the past month. Of these, 60% had ridden a bike for transport purposes.
The majority of respondents that had ridden a bike did so for either running errands/going to the shops or for leisure and recreational activities. More than 60% of respondents had both cycled for running errands/going to the shops and for leisure and recreational
activities.The majority of respondents cycle due to the health and exercise benefits obtained from cycling. Respondents were also likely to be influenced by the economic benefits of cycling, as well as the environmental advantages.
A common theme for not cycling more often was due to road traffic conditions or safety. Respondents were likely to rate unsafe road condition, speed/volume of traffic, lack of bicycle lanes or safety as key reasons for not cycling often. Issues such as lack of time or
motivation were not significant factors in holding back cyclists.Those that ride a bike for transport, typically ride on quiet roads and alone.
Almost 90% of those that ride a bike for transport felt their general health had improved since starting to ride for transport.
So, what’s stopping you from cycling? Would you get on a bike more often if conditions were right?
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Thanks for that interview Rodney. I surfed in to listen online via your twitter feed. Interesting stats and I actually learned that it was ok to ride two a breast. I did not know that!
Thats why we need all the support we can get. SCA is trying to strengthen existing laws to protect cyclists on Aussie roads, and soon we will be pushing for a Strict Liability law early next year. We support the Amy Gillett Foundation, and they support us. We all need to present a united front to prevent loss of life and bolster our numbers.
Go the bikes……….
I regularly pass 75 – 90 bikes on my ride to work from Cannington to Osborne Park each day.
The single greatest change that will encourage cycling will be to enact laws where the onus is on the driver of a motor vehicle to prove that they were driving in a safe manner. At the moment a cyclist and a motorist have a similar legal standing as a “vehicle” where a cyclist can be at-fault, usually by a police officer determining that they did not have right of way or that they were causing a traffic hazard.
Cycling is only going to be on the increase as urban roads, especially in Sydney, are already running well past 110% capacity during peak periods, not to mention that public transport options are already hard pressed to keep up with demand.