Fewer of us are cycling – here's how we can reverse the decline

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Treevan@aussie.zone⁩ to ⁨australia@aussie.zone⁩

https://theconversation.com/fewer-of-us-are-cycling-heres-how-we-can-reverse-the-decline-212260

Two-thirds of people want more transport funding to go into walking, cycling and public transport.

The decline in cycling probably shouldn’t surprise us.

In the past 40 years, the percentage of children who walk or ride to school has dropped from 75% to 25%. Furthermore, cycling receives only about 2% of transport budgets.

As well as the three transport priorities, we can of course take many more actions that would help increase walking and cycling.

These measures include: boosting housing density, beautifying our neighbourhoods, programs to build people’s confidence and skills to walk and cycle, such as beginners bike tours, and more frequent public transport.

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Comments

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ky56@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’m not riding on the road. I ride too slow and there are some real dickheads in cars on the road. Allow cyclists to use the footpath under a certain limit or fuck off.

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- Zagorath@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  You can tell how much a state cares about cyclists by whether they already allow this. It’s illegal in NSW and Victoria. It’s legal in Queensland, WA, and SA. It should be no surprise that NSW and Vic were also the last states to implement minimum passing laws, in 2018 and 2021, respectively.
  
  NSW and Vic are crap states.
  
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- shirro@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I saw several older people around town take up cycling once the law was changed to allow adults to cycle on footpaths. It definitely has its merits for all ages. The commonwealth should force universal adoption to bring the backward high road fatality states up to standard.
  
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- Lintson@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  There needs to be cycling roads that are just for cycling, not just painted green strips on existing roads. Big ask but it’s what we need for the majority of persons to use bikes as an actual mode of transportation.
  
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  - Getawombatupya@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Like the melbourne cbd?
    
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- Treevan@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  When I was couriering, riding on the footpath was legal.
  
  No one believed it. I had made cards of the 2 relevant road rules for handing out purposes but usually it was just an argument.
  
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Marin_Rider@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
more cycle lanes please. and drivers need a serious culture change, so sick of people thinking it would be funny if they do a close pass or shout loudly as they pass

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UnfortunateDoorHinge@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’ve been using an escooter to commute for the past past month and I love it. You don’t get tired or sweaty, and you can fold it up and charge it under your desk. Riden both, a bike is more comfortable, but ebikes still take up a bit of space if there isn’t a bike shed at work. I’m shocked that people drive their car and park in the city, every day.

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- No1@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Still illegal in NSW. e-skateboards illegal too. Of course, you see kids riding them around, but…
  
  Funny, I did see someone riding whatever this is the other day. Full face helmet and leathers lol
  
  Image
  
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  - Zagorath@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I believe that’s a Onewheel.
    
    They (along with other types of PMD) are legal here in Queensland, though I regularly see them used in illegal ways, such as on high-speed multilane roads, or above the 25 km/h limit they have to have a regulator for.
    
    Just today I had a scooter rider pass me on a quiet suburban street while I was doing about 30–40. He musta been going like 50, which would be double the maximum speed on one of those. Having ridden the hire scooters before I can’t imagine going that fast, because they’re so unstable compared to a bicycle. It’s scary.
    
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Azzapatazza@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
For me it is the disconnect of cycling networks across Brisbane. The two main north councils have decent networks but there is literally no connection and long diversions are required to move between the networks, even in Moreton Bay the lanes just end and aren’t always safe.

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austin@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The ACT has done a fantastic job in this field. If you’re a commuter you’ll rarely find yourself on a road, and if you do it will most likely have a permanent bike lane (no parked cars in sight)

Sure, if you’re more of an adventurous cyclist like me and do more advanced rural cycling, you might end up on some roads (eg. when riding to Queanbeyan) but even that route has a bike lane.

Shame that Adelaide, the “cycling capital” because of the Tour Down Under, has terrible bike infrastructure and timed bike lanes so people are allowed to park in them off-peak.

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