We surveyed over 4,000 Victorians and found more than three-quarters are interested in riding a bike, but only in infrastructure that separates people from cars – such as protected bike lanes.
Laura Fruhen, The University of Western Australia; Isabel Rossen, The University of Western Australia, and Lisette Kanse, The University of Western Australia
Passing distance laws do change driver behaviour. But new research suggests not all the changes are positive.
Governments could capitalize on the growth of telecommuting to promote more car-free lifestyles.
(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
The pandemic could be a boon to car use, but it would be a mistake for governments to let that happen. There’s a golden opportunity to push towards a zero-carbon transportation system.
Delivery riders are paying the ultimate price for the fact that our cities, their infrastructure and the rules governing them make cycling much more dangerous than it should be.
Drivers and cyclists develop distinct identities of themselves and others in ways that mirror the formation of ethnic identities. And on-road segregation runs the risk of reinforcing this process.
Many rarely used bikes end up languishing in the shed.
peace baby/Shutterstock
Where bikes are kept is a strong pointer to the place of cycling in the owner’s life. Effective active transport policy starts with understanding what stops people using their bikes instead of cars.
In cities like Copenhagen that have good infrastructure for cycling it’s an established commuting option alongside road and rail.
Heb/Wikimedia Commons
A breakdown in the road or rail systems often causes commuter chaos in Australia. Some overseas cities are more resilient because they have other options – and our bicycle network could give us that.
Downtown Seattle’s busy, protected bike lanes.
Seattle Department of Transportation
Australia has had an 80% increase in cyclist deaths in 2017-18. With drivers at fault in most collisions, their attitude and behaviour should be the main targets for change.
Street in Hangzhou, China, with trees separating a cycle track from road traffic and from the sidewalk.
Xu Wen
Many US cities are investing in bike infrastructure and shade trees. Properly located, these additions can make streets cooler, cleaner and safer for all users – even those who drive.
Cycling can be more dangerous than it looks.
AP Photo/Kevin Clifford
The warm summer months encourage more of us to get outside and exercise, whether by shooting hoops or riding a bike. But there’s a downside: higher risk of injury.
Citibike station in midtown Manhattan.
Jim Henderson
Dozens of US cities have launched bike-share programs in the past decade. There have been bumps – critics want wider access, and cities want bikes stored out of the way – but bike sharing is on a roll.
Bike-sharing schemes work when users leave the bikes in safe places that don’t inconvenience others, so why doesn’t everyone do that?
David Moir/AAP
Mental short-cuts guide our everyday decision-making. Unfortunately, five biases can lead us to deny responsibility for our poor decisions and are creating problems for share-bike schemes.
After nearly a decade of operation, Brisbane’s CityCycle scheme still needs to be subsidised.
Ash Kyd/flickr
Many short-term bike-hiring programs have been launched amid much fanfare, only for their popularity to decline soon after. Several key factors need to be in place for a program to work.
Dramatic images of “bike graveyards” shouldn’t be taken at face value – there’s hope for bike-sharing schemes yet.
The Netherlands’ cycleways are popular for commuting, because the infrastructure is safe, accessible and convenient.
The Alternative Department for Transport
The evidence suggests a small investment in cycling infrastructure, combined with less punitive policing, would enable more Australians to escape daily traffic congestion.
A largely unused cycle lane between Sandton and Alexandra in Johannesburg.
Njogu Morgan
Bike lanes in South Africa were meant to encourage commuter cycling and ease congestion but in Johannesburg the initiative garnered more outrage than support.
Easy to remember how to do, hard to figure out how it’s working.
Rob Bertholf