Cycling in Sydney Australia
148000 Cyclists demand better deal
An interesting one from Adelaide, the statistic that is most interesting is the relative per-head expenditure, I wonder where they got those figures from.
THE state's growing army of cyclists is demanding a better deal, alarmed that authorities have
failed to fund improvements to infrastructure.
A Federal Government survey shows cycling participation increased
43 per cent in South Australia last year and Bicycle SA chief executive
Christian Haag said it was now more popular than swimming.
TELL US: How can Adelaide become more cycle friendly?
But 2007 figures from the Cycling Promotion Fund show SA spent only $2.20
per head on cycling infrastructure, behind Victoria with $3.70 per
head, $4 in Queensland, $4.65 in WA and more than $10 in NSW.
"On one hand we have the Tour Down Under, which screams to the world SA is
a great place to come visit, it's a cycle-friendly community," Mr Haag
said. "What's not in balance is the funding (difference) that goes from
promotion and encouragement for infrastructure."
The tour, and the January comeback of superstar Lance Armstrong, are just two of the factors that have sparked a significant increase in the profile and popularity of cycling in recent years.
Budget-conscious commuters, environmentally minded people wanting pollution-free
transport and health professionals urging the public to exploit
cycling's many health benefits are also fuelling the trend.
But Mr Haag said deficiencies in the state's bike infrastructure - mainly,
a lack of a cohesive network of bike lanes - could be deterring more
potential cyclists from getting on their bikes.
Bicycle SA, which represents the state's 148,000 cyclists, is calling for action on
behalf of riders who are tired of bike lanes ending suddenly, forcing
them to face traffic at busy intersections.
"What we see is that there was a large amount of bike infrastructure going down with the
previous government and the current Government's maintained that
strategy.
However, the funding levels of previous years are less than we'd have liked," Mr Haag said. "There's been no CPI increase, so there's a real-dollar-term decrease."
The Federal Government last week announced $5.7 million in funding for new bicycle infrastructure in SA.
Transport Minister Patrick Conlon's spokesman said the Government spent $95
million on cycling-related projects since 2002 with a further $3.9
million in 2009-2010.
In Queensland, Brisbane City Council is spending $100 million over four years on bicycle infrastructure. The WA
government has committed $72 million and Victoria has invested $28.2
million in its bike and pedestrian network.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ♫ Kylie on -
Those are some interesting figures. Makes NSW suddenly not look too bad. Must be all that advocacy from BNSW.
I'm not a fan of this bit: "Bicycle SA, which represents the state's 148,000 cyclists, is calling for action on behalf of riders who are tired of bike lanes ending suddenly, forcing them to face traffic at busy intersections." In my mind, that makes it sound like cyclists don't want to be amongst traffic. Personally, I don't mind being amongst traffic, I mind being separated from it and then suddenly thrown back into it when they aren't expecting me.
(and no, I didn't stumble across this thread when I was googling 'budget sex in adelaide', despite your tags)
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Permalink Reply by Dabba on -
"I didn't stumble across this thread when I was googling 'budget sex in adelaide'"
What did you get when you googled that? :-)
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Permalink Reply by Neil Alexander on -
Well, since you asked, Dabba, there was this arousing stuff amongst other things pretty similar:
Federal Budget 2009 | Adelaide Now
Food & Wine · Bars & Restaurants · Sex & Relationships ... THE O-Bahn busway will be extended through the centre of Adelaide, with dedicated bus lanes on some ... THE Federal Budget has brought forward $500 million for accelerated water ...
www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/in-depth/federal-budget
Really says it all about Adelaide (with further apologies to Doddsy -- though if he thought the place was so great why did he leave?)
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Permalink Reply by Doddsy on -
"with further apologies to Doddsy -- though if he thought the place was so great why did he leave?"
I left because i like being a bike courier and the city is too small. After 8 years of cycling around Adelaide for a living i just had to escape the goldfish bowl.
Also at the time my lovelife was in tatters so had to run away to the other side of the country before i got back with my best mate/ex girlfriend for the trilliionth time.
If i could stay sane working a job that didn't involve riding a bike all day i'd move back there in an instant.
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Permalink Reply by ♫ Kylie on
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"What did you get when you googled that?"
Logged by the fun police, again
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Permalink Reply by David Taylor on -
If you keep that sort of searching up you'll end up with half the IT department trying to date you :)
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Permalink Reply by David Taylor on
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You lucky girl you :)
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Permalink Reply by David Taylor on
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I was wondering if anyone used the tags :)
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