When commuting by bicycle selection of a route is one of the most important things to improve your enjoyment, safety and comfort.

Selecting a route depends on your level of cycling experience, personal preference, road network, levels of traffic and availability of infrastructure and alternatives.

Main roads vs back streets
If you are starting out to commute, take a trial ride on a weekend, to find the best way to get to your destination. Consider back roads, quiet streets and off road paths as an alternative to busy main roads. Look for cut through laneways, and alternatives to one way streets. Many state road authorities provide cycling maps or interactive web-based cycling maps which help you in choosing a route.

With the development of online mapping systems such as Google Earth, many people are starting to use it to map popular cycling routes to work.

In some states Travel Smart programs also provide excellent maps which include cycling routes as well as public transport which enables you to combine cycling and public transport.

Road Rules
Bicycle riders are legitimate road users and are as entitled to use the road as any other vehicle. Under the Australian Road Rules a bicycle is a vehicle and the riders of bicycles must comply with the road rules.

Using the lane
There are times when the safest way to deal with car traffic is to take control of the lane to give yourself room to avoid drains and gutters safely and to avoid swerving around obstacles. Remember to ride defensively - but not agressively and know your rights and obligations as road user.