One Canberra family has shunned cars for bikes and public transport. The Canberra Times reports that the family will have a head start on the ACT Government’s plan to reach a target of net zero emissions by 2045. The Government’s climate change strategy includes a plan to ‘Copenhagenise’ the city, by having car-free days and increasing cycling participation rates. Not everyone is convinced, however, as these Facebook comment threads indicate (see also here). Pedal Power, ACT’s peak cycling body, says that Canberra can raise its cycling participation rates even further.
Elsewhere in Canberra, the Belconnen suburb of Gininderry has announced an e-bike scheme, the first of its kind in Canberra. Comments on the Facebook thread are supportive of the idea.
Bicycle NSW reports that cycling participation has dropped in all states except for NSW.
The issues of congestion and transport infrastructure in Sydney continue to be debated amongst politicians, policy makers and experts. One expert says that governments must shift Sydney’s focus to public transport and away from new roads as the city’s population climbs towards 7 million. Others claim that governments need to look beyond conventional transport planning, towards public transport and other ways of keeping people out of their cars to keep people healthy and active.
This post from the NSW Department of Road Safety asks Facebook users to “spot two things wrong with this image.” The exact point of the post is not immediately clear, but responses by the Department indicate that it’s because the cyclist is not wearing a helmet or holding the handlebars. There are some pretty facetious responses among the 600 + that it has attracted to date.
ABC Brisbane reports that a ‘die-in’ protest involving a group of cyclists took place at King George Square in Brisbane. The protest follows a similar event in London a few weeks ago. The Facebook post for the Brisbane ‘die-in’ attracted a lot of anti-cyclist sentiment.
Pedalling for Change 