The city of Sydney, Australia is serious about cycling. Serious enough so that in 2007, it implemented a ten year action plan that has as its goal to make cycling an attractive form of transportation around the city. Sydney promotes cycling as an alternative to walking and to public transportation, but mostly as a way to get people out of their cars. The plan encompasses infrastructure changes to accommodate cyclists in the city by making it safer and more convenient. Since these are the two main concerns people voice about using a bicycle as transportation, the program shows great promise by focusing on eliminating or at least minimizing these obstacles.
Commuting to work, getting around town or just cruising for fun are just a few of the reasons for this plan of action. Getting people out of their cars and on their bikes would reduce traffic and promote a healthier environment. Providing a cyclist friendly atmosphere is the goal and will start in a few areas, and later spread into the city. The main concern of people who bike (or are thinking about cycling) is always motor vehicles. No matter who is at fault when a car and a bike wreck, the cyclist will always end up with the short end of the stick. Therefore, Sydney's government is making safety for cyclists a #1 priority and a central portion of their newest plan of action.
Along with these extensive improvements in convenience and safety for cyclists, the plan also includes advertising and promoting cycling in Sydney. The government feels that many people need some encouragement to take to two wheels. Of course, it does not make sense to make all these improvements unless you also encourage more people to take advantage of them. When the program began the number of trips made by bicycle in Sydney was as low as 2%. The goal is to raise it up to 10% for all trips by 2016. The plan also stipulates a goal of 20% bicycle use for short trips (under 20 km) by 2016. Short trips by automobile are expensive and cause lots of congestion so they are a perfect early target for improvement.
This plan will also help those who continue to drive as well by improving health and saving money. By reducing the amount of traffic and congestion in the city, road repairs and pricey construction will slow immediately, helping to cut costs for those who live there. Public transportation will also be affected in that crowding will be reduced and this reduction in travel will help to save money. Cutting healthcare and getting citizens healthy by reducing green house gas and pollution are all part of the big picture when considering this plan.
The Sydney plan is much more than just painting a line on the edge of the traffic lane and calling it a bike lane like done in other cities. Sydney has gone to the other extreme in fact, creating separate cycleways apart from the car traffic lanes just for bikes. In other locations, cyclists share space with pedestrians, not cars. This makes for a much safer, less intimidating cycling culture.
The city of Sydney did a lot of research before starting in on its cycling plan and it learned a lot about its cyclists. For example, the majority of cyclists are male and tend to be between ages 18 and 34. This accounts for over 80% of all cyclists in the city. This information told the city that it needed to focus on attracting women and older citizens to cycling if the plan were to truly be effective. These groups were overly concerned with safety or did not own a bike so they had no opportunity to ride.
The top reasons for biking instead of driving are fun and staying healthy. These new and improved biking lanes help to reduce driving in cars and have encouraged people to get on their bikes, reducing traffic, just as the city thought.
The view on bike is not bad either! There are tons of great trails to take as you commute and books have been released about what rides are where and which trails to take to see the best of Sydney. Olympic Park is one of the hot spots and attracts countless people due to the availability of the onsite BMX tracks and kid friendly facilities.
Biker events have drawn the cyclists of Sydney as well. The Ride to Work Day in October has become extremely popular, beginning with a delicious breakfast and gorgeous ride to the office. This yearly event helps to prove that you can commute to work via bike regularly without the issue of safety or fear of being late. With events and activities getting people out of their cars and onto their bikes, there's no doubt that Sydney will become one of the healthiest cities in the world.
Commuting to work, getting around town or just cruising for fun are just a few of the reasons for this plan of action. Getting people out of their cars and on their bikes would reduce traffic and promote a healthier environment. Providing a cyclist friendly atmosphere is the goal and will start in a few areas, and later spread into the city. The main concern of people who bike (or are thinking about cycling) is always motor vehicles. No matter who is at fault when a car and a bike wreck, the cyclist will always end up with the short end of the stick. Therefore, Sydney's government is making safety for cyclists a #1 priority and a central portion of their newest plan of action.
Along with these extensive improvements in convenience and safety for cyclists, the plan also includes advertising and promoting cycling in Sydney. The government feels that many people need some encouragement to take to two wheels. Of course, it does not make sense to make all these improvements unless you also encourage more people to take advantage of them. When the program began the number of trips made by bicycle in Sydney was as low as 2%. The goal is to raise it up to 10% for all trips by 2016. The plan also stipulates a goal of 20% bicycle use for short trips (under 20 km) by 2016. Short trips by automobile are expensive and cause lots of congestion so they are a perfect early target for improvement.
This plan will also help those who continue to drive as well by improving health and saving money. By reducing the amount of traffic and congestion in the city, road repairs and pricey construction will slow immediately, helping to cut costs for those who live there. Public transportation will also be affected in that crowding will be reduced and this reduction in travel will help to save money. Cutting healthcare and getting citizens healthy by reducing green house gas and pollution are all part of the big picture when considering this plan.
The Sydney plan is much more than just painting a line on the edge of the traffic lane and calling it a bike lane like done in other cities. Sydney has gone to the other extreme in fact, creating separate cycleways apart from the car traffic lanes just for bikes. In other locations, cyclists share space with pedestrians, not cars. This makes for a much safer, less intimidating cycling culture.
The city of Sydney did a lot of research before starting in on its cycling plan and it learned a lot about its cyclists. For example, the majority of cyclists are male and tend to be between ages 18 and 34. This accounts for over 80% of all cyclists in the city. This information told the city that it needed to focus on attracting women and older citizens to cycling if the plan were to truly be effective. These groups were overly concerned with safety or did not own a bike so they had no opportunity to ride.
The top reasons for biking instead of driving are fun and staying healthy. These new and improved biking lanes help to reduce driving in cars and have encouraged people to get on their bikes, reducing traffic, just as the city thought.
The view on bike is not bad either! There are tons of great trails to take as you commute and books have been released about what rides are where and which trails to take to see the best of Sydney. Olympic Park is one of the hot spots and attracts countless people due to the availability of the onsite BMX tracks and kid friendly facilities.
Biker events have drawn the cyclists of Sydney as well. The Ride to Work Day in October has become extremely popular, beginning with a delicious breakfast and gorgeous ride to the office. This yearly event helps to prove that you can commute to work via bike regularly without the issue of safety or fear of being late. With events and activities getting people out of their cars and onto their bikes, there's no doubt that Sydney will become one of the healthiest cities in the world.
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