Lack of bicycle infrastructure is limiting sustainable patterns of living and impacting public health

Melbourne-based place strategist Louise Ford is concerned that the Victorian capital, as well as other Australian cities, lack the infrastructure to keep up with growing post-COVID demand for cycling.

A cyclist herself, Ford has seen first-hand how crowded shared bike and pedestrian paths can be, particularly around Melbourne’s Yarra River and city trails and believes the issue is not with people owning bikes or having access to shared-bike schemes, but rather it lies with the infrastructure.

Ford, a member of the team at award-winning Australian urban planning and design practice Hatch RobertsDay, has identified overall infrastructure issues with safety, lighting and uneven cycling paths that are deterring the community from cycling.

Along with issues with the overall width of the paths, she sees one solution as the separation of paths for walking and cycling, especially on heavily trafficked routes.

Cycling and, in particular, e-bikes have rapidly grown in popularity over the past 18 months as more commuters choose not to use public transport and find healthier and more environmentally friendly ways to get around.

However, as cycling levels on key bike paths across Australia have increased, Ford is concerned that cycling infrastructure is struggling to keep up, commenting “the dispersion from our capital city central areas is seeing more people cycle for transport and fitness.

“Local councils need to respond to the issues highlighted and create more cycle infrastructure to accommodate the cycling and e-bike revolution. In the absence of an improved cycle network, the environment, our health and road congestion will continue to worsen.”

Ford highlights six far-reaching benefits of e-bikes and how Australians can reduce their carbon footprint, improve their health and save money:

1. E-bikes significantly reduce carbon emissions. Compared with a car and other modes of transport, e-bikes massively reduce an individual’s carbon footprint and help to reduce pollution in urban areas. Ford says e-bikes are essential in the fight against climate change, achieving the UN Sustainability Development Goals and fostering healthier communities.

2. Cost savings for individuals and a benefit to the economy. E-bikes and shared bike schemes, such as BYKKO - a novel electric bike share scheme in Newcastle - can significantly reduce an individual’s transport costs. In contrast to fuelling up a car, a full charge of an e-bike only costs 25-30 cents per 60 kilometres of powered riding. It is also an affordable alternative to public transport and results in the use of more direct routes, reducing an individual’s travel time and costs.

Ford says it can also alleviate the need for a second car and amount to a significant cost saving, given the fact that the average cost of owning and running a car can amount to between $10,000 and $12,000 annually.

3. Cycling helps to reduce the risk of serious illness. E-bikes encourage people to be more active, rather than sitting idle in cars and on public transport. Interestingly, there is minimal difference in physical activity gains from active travel between e-bikers and cyclists. Many studies have reported that cycling can reduce the risk of serious illnesses, including some cancers, heart disease, diabetes, depression and obesity.

4. Accessible for all demographics. Cycling is a low-impact exercise and causes less injury than other sports, which means it is suitable for all demographics.

Ford notes “e-bikes make cycling accessible for all ages, genders and varied levels of fitness. People also tend to cycle on e-bikes for longer and more often than a regular bike, and this effect is greater among women.”

5. E-bikes cover more ground than walking or regular cycling. E-bikes are the best alternative to a car to help transport people greater distances than they could on foot or riding a regular bike. Along with more people purchasing e-bikes,

6. Minimises road congestion and urban noise. If suitable cycling infrastructure is in place, Louise says e-bikes can help to reduce the number of cars on our roads, minimising inner-city traffic and urban noise. Bikes can move seven times more people than cars: a single lane of traffic can move 14,000 cyclists an hour, compared with 9000 people on buses and just 2000 people in cars.

As Ford concludes “the use of e-bikes for shorter trips, such as commuting to a meeting, the school run or meeting up with friends, will result in quieter and less intrusive transport, than conventional modes.”

Images: Sydney Electric Bikes (top) and Newcastle's BYKKO electric bike share scheme (below).