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Super Tuesday count kicks off

Bicycle Network's Super Tuesday commuter bike count kicked off today, with volunteer counters tallying bike riders around the country.

More than 600 bike lovers were stationed on road and bike trails in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Alice Springs and regional Victoria.

450 of the count sites were in Melbourne where workplaces were allowed to return to 75 per cent capacity this week.

Despite fingers being numbed by especially chilly weather, tally marks were still able to be made including on count sheets for new bike lanes built in the city to encourage people to choose bikes for a COVID-safe commute. 

Bicycle Network spokesperson Anthea Hargreaves said data gathered today will help show the number of people heading into the office for work as well as how the new bike lanes have been received by riders.

“Super Tuesday will help us understand how many people who have started going back to the office are also getting on their bikes and how they’re using the improved bike lane network,” said Ms Hargreaves.

While there were still plenty of people riding bikes, early data gathered from the count indicates that overall commuter numbers might be down on 2020 figures. However, with people still adjusting to post-lockdown routines this is not surprising. As workplace capacities increase and more bike lanes are rolled out, numbers should increase.

As well as how many people are riding, Super Tuesday also records information about the number of men and women at each location. Roads and trails that have been well designed generally have more even gender splits.

Data is collected on behalf of councils who use the information to assess local bike networks and plan future upgrades.

Regular Super Tuesday participant Tasmania postponed their count to Thursday this week because of a horrid weather forecast for Tuesday. Counting today would not have given an accurate number of regular bike commuters.

Super Tuesday is held in southern states during March and northern states during September when the weather is better for bike riding.

More information about Super Tuesday including a map with participating councils and count site locations, registrations and more is available at supertuesday.com.au.

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