Bicycle Network Counts at four key sites around Melbourne counted 2917 bike riders and 141 micro-mobility (e-scooter) users. Numbers were higher than last year at three of the locations. 

Bicycle Network CEO Alison McCormack says thousands more Victorians added to the numbers this morning and numbers across Australia are predicted to reach over 100,000.

“Ride2Work Day encourages Australians to rethink their transport habits each year.  And we know many of them take up riding even just a little more regularly after they make that initial commitment,” she says. 

“People who rode to work today saved money on transport costs – and we know the price of fuel has skyrocketed and that the cost of using public transport daily adds up.  

“And they helped to reduce transport emissions in their city or suburb this morning too. Riding a bike 6km daily can reduce a person’s annual carbon footprint by up to 1.2 tons,” McCormack says.

It’s not too late to make your commute count! Register your ride for National Ride2Work Day.

The post Riders step it up a gear for National Ride2Work Day 2023 appeared first on Bicycle Network.

The stage is set for National Ride2Work Day 2023, Australia’s biggest celebration of commuter riding – and free coffee, fruit and breakfast are on offer for those taking part.

Bicycle Network will pop up around Melbourne during the morning commute with these goodies and more, and a team to cheer on the folks who ride to work and celebrate the joy of two-wheeled travel.

Head to the Good Cycles Bike Hub at Docklands, where the Vic Police Bike Patrol Unit will offer bike engraving and bike tuning services will be available. Look out for food being delivered by cargo bike.

Bicycle Network will also be at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre handing out coffee and food, and there’ll be bike tuning on offer there too. Similar festivities will be held at the corner of Charman Road and Beach Road in Mentone.

Workplaces are encouraged to get involved and host their own breakfast and Ride2Work events to promote the health benefits of bike commuting.

Individuals and workplaces can find out more and register their rides and events here.

Registering helps Bicycle Network understand where people commute by bike and how far they are travelling. This informs our advocacy efforts and helps us improve conditions for all people who ride.

Or become our friend and subscribe to receive our fortnightly newsletter.

The post Get ready to roll for National Ride2Work Day appeared first on Bicycle Network.

Whether you’re a regular bike commuter or have been toying with the idea for a while, National Ride2Work Day is the ideal opportunity to embrace active travel and get moving on your way to and from the workplace.

Commuting by bike brings all kinds of benefits to your health. It is an effective way to squeeze in some of your recommended daily exercise, saving you money on a gym membership and leaving extra free time outside work.

It also contributes to a healthier and more sustainable society, reducing traffic congestion and air pollution and avoiding the emissions tied to other more carbon-intensive modes of transport.

Bicycle Network will be celebrating National Ride2Work Day with fun activities and free coffees for commuters at several sites around inner Melbourne.

Registrations are now open for National Ride2Work Day 2023. Registering your ride helps us understand where people are commuting from and how far they’re travelling, which in turn tells us where we need to build better places to ride.

You can read more about the benefits of riding to work here and register for National Ride2Work Day 2023 here.

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Now in it’s 30th year, Ride2Work Day is all about normalising the idea of riding to work with a bike. It encourages people who have never ridden to work before to give it a go, and it allows regular riders to stay motivated and encourage their work mates to get involved.

This year, Bicycle Network held celebrations for National Ride2Work Day in Melbourne and Hobart.

We hosted our renowned annual breakfast on Harbour Esplanade at Docklands where thousands of city-bound commuters dropped in for coffee, muffins, and bananas. There was also live entertainment and free bike tune-ups from friendly bike mechanics.

And it wasn’t just Bicycle Network bringing the cheer! Many breakfasts were hosted across the country to celebrate and encourage the benefits of riding to work.

Riders out in big numbers

Bicycle Network’s Transport Data team were out counting riders during the mroning. A total of 2407 riders were counted across our three Melbourne Ride2Work sites this morning.

The team counted 936 bike riders along Harbour Esplanade between 7am and 9am. This is a massive increase when compared to the 430 riders counted at the intersection of Collins Street and Harbour Esplanade during Super Tuesday in March this year, a more than two-fold increase!

Canning Street was also packed with pedals. Our team counted a total of 805 riders across the two-hour period, a huge increase from the 494 riders counted at the same site during Super Tuesday  in March.

Today’s surveys suggest that commuter riding numbers may be back on the rise. 

Thank you!

Bicycle Network would like to thank everyone who rode their bikes today and made National Ride2Work Day the exciting celebration that it is!

Whether you’re a daily bike commuter, a first-time rider, or you just dropped by for a free muffin!

You’re helping to spread the good word about the benefits of riding to work and making it more accessible for people in the future.

You can also share some of your memories from the day using #Ride2Work and by tagging @Bicycle_Network.

The post Bikes hit the streets for National Ride2Work Day appeared first on Bicycle Network.

Riding to your place of work also helps save time and money, while being kind to the environment. Bike commuters reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating 1.2kg of carbon for every 5km, mitigating climate change effects.

However, depending on where you live, riding to work may not always be feasible.

In Victoria, bicycles are currently not allowed on buses. While the state allows riders to bring their bicycles on trains, they are discouraged during peak times, so bike commuters riding to train stations need a spot to park their bicycles while at work.

While most stations have public bicycle hoops for riders to lock their bike, these public hoops are often full. Many riders resort to locking their bikes to nearby poles, fences and handrails. Oftentimes, these bikes can result in blocked pathways and critical access points.

This is where the Parkiteer program comes in.

The Parkiteer program (stemming from the words ‘park it here’) is a network of bike cages providing undercover, free, and secure bike parking at selected train stations and major transport interchanges across Victoria.

A regular Parkiteer cage is the size of three carpark spaces, providing 26 bike parking spaces through a combination of ground rails and hanging rails.

Located alongside most metropolitan train stations, with one at a busy bus interchange, the Parkiteer program supports active travel. Riding to the station allows users to achieve their recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day during their daily commute.

With more than 130 Parkiteer cages across the Victorian Train Network, and many more on the way, cycling to and from the station is easier and more accessible than ever!

The post The Case for Parkiteer (Secure Bike Parking) appeared first on Bicycle Network.

An article highlighted this issue as a chicken and egg problem.

Pre-pandemic, riders make up a mere 1.1% of total commuters. Car travel? 73.8%.

Spending millions of dollars on cycling infrastructure to accommodate a few thousand cyclists is apparently not financially viable enough to attract investments through public funding.

Simply put, decision makers will not invest more money in better riding infrastructure until they see evidence of more riders on the road.

However, unsafe, and unattractive riding conditions will deter new riders from forming a habit that will ultimately improve their health, mitigate climate change, and save time and money.

It is common sense that good riding infrastructure naturally attracts more riders.

55% of cyclists who ride at least once a fortnight said they would make at least 2 more trips a week by bike if there is better cycling infrastructure. 62% who ride once a month said they would increase their cycling frequency by 4.3 trips.

And we have the science to prove it.

So what comes first, the bike rider or the bike lane? It’s a tricky one to answer. But suffice it to say: each time we ride a bike around our towns and cities we are placing a vote. A vote for bikes. So let’s keep voting! 

This article was made possible by the support of Bicycle Network’s members who enable us to make bike riding better in Australia.

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Touted as the “corridor for all”, the 21.5km proposed North-South expressway will be Singapore’s longest Transit Priority Corridor.

Aside from alleviating traffic on the Central Expressway, one of the nation’s busiest highways and other major arterial roads, the inclusive North-South Corridor will also benefit active mobility users and pedestrians.

The cycling routes and pedestrian paths also link to the Park Connector Network, a 300km, bike-friendly, island-wide network of green corridors, boosting connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians.

This new integrated transport corridor could serve as an inspiration for future developments inI Australian cities. Dedicated active mobility routes could run parallel along major highways and roads, making it easier for commuters to consider an added healthy travel option that could also reduce their personal carbon footprint.

This article was made possible by the support of Bicycle Network’s members who enable us to make bike riding better in Australia.

Image source: Land Transport Authority

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In 2020, the UK saw a 47% increase in Google searches for e-bikes. This increase is also translating into sales, with a 114% year-on-year increase in e-bikes and e-scooter sales.

The e-bike advantage outlined the following reasons for its popularity.

1. It’s easy.
2. It boosts confidence when riding in traffic.
3. You arrive fresh when you Ride2Work.
4. It’s the healthy alternative.

But what about its impact on the environment? While the emissions output of an e-bike is near-zero, one might argue that the manufacturing of e-bikes leaves behind a larger carbon footprint.

They might be right. But it really depends on the user.

The 2021 sustainability report by Trek calculated that the carbon cost in manufacturing an e-bike can be mitigated or entirely offset when it is used to its fullest potential.

Let’s put it this way. If you were to ride for 430 miles (or almost 700km) instead of driving the same distance, you would basically offset the carbon equivalent of what it takes to manufacture one of Trek’s most popular bike models.

Take the same bike for a longer ride, and you could essentially be carbon negative.

Compare this with cars (and electric cars): there is no contest.

The European Cycling Federation (ECF) estimates about 96kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) to manufacture a bicycle, and 134kg of CO₂e to manufacture an e-bike. Meanwhile, it takes an average of 5,500kg of CO₂e to make a small hatchback, and 13,000kg of CO₂e to make an SUV.

That’s a difference of more than 40-fold.

The difference is far more evident if we consider the life-cycle analysis (which includes the rider’s intake of food and its carbon footprint).

At a lifetime travel of 19,200km, a bicycle produces 25-35g CO₂e/km. E-bikes come in lower at 21-25g CO₂e/km, which is less carbon intensive as the rider is doing less work and potentially reducing their food footprint. Meanwhile, a typical car produces 220g CO₂e/km with 180,000 lifetime kilometres, and an electric car average about 160g CO₂e/km.

Switching to an e-bike from a daily car journey can save an average of 249g of CO2 for every km travelled. Scale it up for e-bikes to replace car travel entirely, and we’re looking at a reduction of 30 million tonnes of CO₂ a year (that’s half of all of England).

You can read more in this wonderful e-report by The Bike Storage Company here.

It appears that e-bikes should be the go-to for users who would need to travel further, and would also want to cut their carbon footprint. However, e-bikes are more expensive than traditional bicycles, and may not be as affordable for everyone who are looking to commute longer distances by bike. Schemes like an e-bike subscription and the slow, but steady, growth of e-bike sharing services can help with that.

If you are looking into getting an e-bike, but have more questions than is comfortable for you to drop the dough on getting one, our quick intro to e-bikes may help. It is also important to consider other options when you’re deciding on the type of bike you’ll need to get riding.

This article was made possible by the support of Bicycle Network’s members who enable us to make bike riding better in Australia.

The post Can e-bikes decarbonise our transport systems? appeared first on Bicycle Network.

Hop on the bike and pedal to the office on Thursday 7 April via our ‘Back on your bike’ celebration in Southbank to grab a bite to eat, free bike tune-up and more.

For many of us, the daily commute of bedroom to makeshift office table at home has become a habit we would like to break. As much as we have enjoyed zoom meetings in our PJ’s, it’s probably time that we found our previous work attire as many businesses encourage their workforce to return to the office.

We know that some of us have left our bikes unloved during this working from home period and could do with a little nudge to get us back to a healthy and safe commute and rebuild those good riding habits that may have been forgotten.

On Thursday 7 April Bicycle Network and the City of Melbourne are hosting a morning activation in Melbourne CBD with Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre to help celebrate the fact you’ve got back on your bike already or as that little nudge of encouragement to those of us that need it.

Apart from grabbing a bite to eat and saying g’day, there will be free mechanical tune-ups avaialble to those that need to show their bicycle a bit of love.

You can also enter the draw to win a free 2-week eBike trial, courtesy of e-stralian, who like us, want to make it easier for more people to ride a bike more often. This giveaway will be available to one lucky winner, as well as anyone in their household or a friend you’ve been trying to get into the saddle. All you need to do to enter is pledge to pedal to a better normal to be in with a chance.

Event details

• When: 7am – 9am, Thursday 7 April 2022
• Where: Orrs Walk, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
• What’s on: Free breakfast, bike tune-ups, giveaways and more!

The post Free brekky for Melbourne bike commuters appeared first on Bicycle Network.

Well over 100 riders gathered at Brooke Street Pier for breakfast as the rain held off to enjoy brekkie and watch the Commuter Challenge participants arrive.

Members of parliament and local councils popped in to chat to riders, including the Premier Peter Gutwein, Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson, Ministers Guy Barnett and Jane Howlett, ALP Transport spokesperson Josh Willie, Rob Valentine MLC, Janie Finlay MP, Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, and Kingborough councillor Amanda Midgley. 

Commuter Challenge shows ferry benefits

Two wheels beat four again in this year’s Ride2Work Day Commuter Challenge, which saw five different transport options from Kangaroo Bay to the waterfront.

We run the Commuter Challenge on Ride2Work Day to show what transport options exist for a route, how long each takes and how enjoyable each is.

It’s not just about which mode is quicker. Options like riding a bike also provide health benefits and save you money so your daily commute is more than just transport.

The ferry trial also means bike riders now have an enjoyable way to cross the river instead of having to tackle the narrow, exposed paths on the Tasman Bridge.

The challenge participants left the Kangaroo Bay car park at 8.15 am.

The pushbike rider took the ferry and arrived at 8.35 am, the e-bike rider took the bridge and arrived at 8.32, the motorbike rider at 8.28, the car driver at 8.41 and the bus passenger at 8.50.

The challenge reflects the true nature of commuting as the car driver and motorbike and bicycle riders all had to park as normal and walk the rest of the way to the breakfast.

Thanks to our volunteers

We can’t run events like the Ride2Work Day breakfast without all you great people out there who volunteer your time. 

So a huge thanks to Anna, Peter, Jeff and Ian for helping the breakfast hum and to Greg, Damien from the Motorcycle Riders Association Australia, Richard, Carmel and Chris for participating in the Commuter Challenge. 

Photographs of the breakfast have been provided pro bono from Ivett Dodd, to whom we are very grateful! 

And a big thank you to all the riders who came along to the breakfast despite the looming rain and made it the enjoyable gathering that we all look forward to. 

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