The Cycling Promotion Fund is pleased to be a co-host of the ‘Emerging Crisis Summit’.

The summit will be jointly hosted by the Australasian Railway Association, Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Local Government Association, Bus Industry Confederation, Cycling Promotion Fund, Heart Foundation and International Public Transport Association.

The Summit will be the inaugural joint advocacy effort of the hosting organisations and a key policy forum for discussion between Industry and Government about the transport and the impact on it of emerging crises of congested cities, a growing population and the added demand on resources this creates, climate change, future energy security and the role of public and active transport in addressing these national challenges.

Geraldton’s Midwest Area Senior Health Promotion Officer, Isabel Ross and the Peel Region Cycle Instead Bike Week (Mandurah) are both recipients of Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards to be presented in Canberra on Wednesday 1st June.

Isabel Ross received the Bicycle Achievement Award of the Year in the Professional category for her outstanding work in bringing the fun and community building ability of cycling to a vast region in the Midwest. Overcoming the significant disadvantages of living in remote parts of the state, Isabel was able to create many sustainable cycling activities and events including the Fix My Ride Mt Magnet.

Driven by a conviction that just because people live in a remote area they shouldn’t be deprived of activities most people take for granted, she has successfully worked with six Midwest Shires, nineteen schools, the Yulella Aboriginal Corporation, Transport Department, Community Justice Service and bike retailers to give many children a chance to cycle.

The Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards will today recognise Clover Moore for her achievements in developing the 200km Sydney cycleway network.

Sydney’s Lord Mayor will receive the Award for Contribution by a Politician at a ceremony to be attended by federal Politicians and representatives from national organisations and peak bodies in health, transport and the bicycle industry.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said cyclists are voting with their feet - more and more riders are using Sydney’s cycleways.

"Most riders use our cycleways to commute to and from work, in the morning and evening peak hours when congestion on our roads is heaviest – and the more people who ride during those times, the bigger the impact on reducing traffic and congestion,” said the Lord Mayor.

The Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards will today recognise the Southern Flinders Regional Tourism Authority (SFRTA) with the Bicycling Achievement Award for Local Government.

The SFRTA, an alliance of local Councils, Regional Development Australia, tourism and business organisations in the Southern Flinders Ranges will receive the Award in recognition of the success they have had in developing new, sustainable tourism businesses based on cycling.

Working in an environmentally sensitive area, the Southern Flinders Ranges Cycle Tourism Master Plan has boosted business opportunities, brought significant numbers of new visitors to the area and had a flow on impact with more local people taking up cycling.

A national survey conducted by the Cycling Promotion Fund (CPF) and the National Heart Foundation of Australia has found more than 62% of Australians want to be able to ride a bike for transport, but road safety fears are keeping bikes in the shed and off the road.

The data released today at the Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards in Canberra 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, even though more than half of those would like to.

According to Stephen Hodge spokesperson for the CPF, the main reasons why people were not riding bikes were unsafe road conditions (46%); speed/ volume of traffic (42%); don’t feel safe riding (41%) and a lack of bicycle lanes/ trails (35%).

Budget outcomes relevant to the Bicycle Industry

We did not expect much joy for the funding of bicycling infrastructure, programs or active travel from this budget but we were not completely disappointed with efforts to promote the benefits of cycling in the urban context bearing fruit. 

National Urban Policy

The key outcome of this budget is the investment in the Government’s National Urban Policy. This was developed by the Major Cities Unit in the Department of Infrastructure and Transport following an extensive consultation process in which the Cycling Promotion Fund has been extensively engaged for the last two and a half years including a major submission to their inquiry.

The Guide supports the safety of all road users by providing an overview of planning and traffic management considerations, and a summary of design guidance and criteria relating to on-road and off-road bicycle facilities.

Peter Bourke, General Manager of Bicycle Industries Australia and the industry’s Cycling Promotion Fund said, “This is a further step in the commitment of Austroads to support the work of the Australian Bicycle Council as it works to achieve a doubling of people cycling by 2016, the key objective of the National Cycling Strategy.”