Tag: culture

Bike Share: when it’s done well

What is Bike share? Bike share systems are local government run provisions of bicycles (free or at low cost) supporting a city’s transport system. Such a system works alongside a network of buses, trains, trams, taxi/uber and private vehicles and provide people a way of getting around town without. The nature of trips are usually short and bike shares fills specific needs for users to get around town. Of course, the idea is to get people active, minimise their carbon footprint and alleviating congestion.

Many local government authorities around Australia are playing with the idea of implementing these systems. Advocates and critics cast their eyes to Melbourne and Adelaide where bike shares have been implemented. Running a successful bike share systems contains more than simply buying a bunch of bicycles, locking them at the nearest corner and waiting for people to do their thing. Risk adverse councils like to point to lack of infrastructure and costs versus uptake.

The bike share debate has left me fairly ambivalent in the past for various reasons: my bicycle is dear to me (I’ve named it for god sake!), I plan my trips with my own bicycle and public transport, which means I had no personal need. Yes, I could imagine it may be useful, but as neither Perth nor Fremantle have a bike share I also couldn’t imagine what it would be like with one. You don’t miss what you don’t have.

Well, this all was meant to change on my last stint to Europe.

What are all those red bicycles about, I wondered while doing the tourist shuffle through Hamburg and Berlin. In both cities people were zapping around town on fire engine red “StadtRAD” (Citybike) branded treadlies. Train station exits donned bicycle racks with parked citybikes waiting for their next user. I had to find out more about it.

Hamburg’s bike share website explains how it works: first 30 minutes are free, hire and return your bicycle at any station you like – where are the stations? Well, where AREN’T the stations? There is hundreds of them scattered around town!

Perfect for tourists, I thought. Yes, but actually, perfect for anyone who needs to travel a short journey as the system is set up with customer cards, mobile phone access for very fast and convenient rentals.

It makes sense. The more you know a city the more you know exactly which of your trips are worth using buses or trains for, which require a car and which one you can tick of by bike.

Did people in Hamburg and Berlin complain about traffic? Oh yes, they did. Did they have alternatives for using the car? Hell yes, and they did! In fact, the single most complained about aspect of travelling by car was *drum roll*, you guessed it: parking! Any short, quick trip by car was prolonged by finding parking that riding a bicycle made more sense.

Have you tried a bike share? What were your experiences?

Anna’s Love For Riding

It all really started around 7 years ago. I watched my brother enjoy riding a bike and getting right into it. I was quite envious on how keen he developed the love of riding and how he lost weight. He was a bad sleepy-in person and you could never get him up, but with riding he changed his attitude.

I did own, and ride a bicycle when I was 35 but had no confidence and no idea of gears or brakes. My feet were my brakes. We used to go to Rottnest Island with a whole heap of friends and our young children. The most I would ride was from our lodgings to the town centre. If I had a couple of beers I felt a little more confident. That is until one night I fell off the bike which had a basket with food. That was the end of my riding days and my bike was used by everyone else as a carrier instead of me.

I decided I was going to start riding and saw the advertisement in the Stirling Times for the City of Stirling bike riding classes. I booked myself in for the lessons which were starting the following year in January 2010 and I asked my Kris Kringle for a Kmart bike for Christmas.

The night before my first lesson I tried to get on the bike but it wasn’t happening. I didn’t sleep all night as I felt like a failure. The first lesson I wasn’t particularly good. The second lesson I got better and the third I got the hang of it.

We started our 12 week Social Ride course and our first ride was to Gwelup, a proud 7 km round-trip. The following Sunday we went from Hillarys to Mullaloo, double the distance 14 km. The class taught us how to catch trains with a bicycle and how to go into the city with our bikes.

This was my new way of spending Sunday mornings and always finding a nice coffee with my new found friends. At that time my husband would be at the soccer club and the children were busy too. I was very happy with my new way of life.

I also joined the Friday and Wednesday group, but as I wasn’t committed, due to going away, I lost a little confidence on the Wednesday, so I started the Wednesday Easyriders group, which was mainly riding in the City of Stirling between 20 and 25 km. I was keen to be back home by 11 am and the other ladies enjoyed the rides and social time.

Nowadays I try and ride twice a week: Wednesday and Friday. Life has changed at home and Sundays are now reserved for grandchildren and soccer. My passion for riding has grown in the past 6 years. I love being out there in the sunshine and I love the encouragement from the others as I get better and continue to build my confidence.

With riding it has been beneficial to my health. I had suffered from clinical depression, now I’m off medication and enjoy the fruit of life. Feeling pretty good and loving it. I’m having my 60th Birthday soon so I think a new bike is on my wish list.

I’m very involved with the MS society as my youngest son has MS. They have a lot of events to do with bike riding and I did the bridges ride which was over 40 km. It took me 2,5 hours in the dark, but I was happy that I completed it. We had a most spectacular ride with wonderful city views by night. That morning I had ridden 32 km with the Friday Ladies, so I totalled 75 km for the day.

I love riding and I am ever so grateful to the City of Stirling for creating such an opportunity for us. The friendship with these ladies grows every week. We all look out for each other and hope to ride safely for a very long time.

People on Bicycles adopt Potoroo

Dear People, it is with great joy that we announce our collective community has become parents. Yes, you read correctly.

With great joy we have chosen an adoption… and it’s a Potoroo! So, please put your hands together, welcome our new ‘baby’ to the fold and let me introduce to you the newest member to our family: Potoroo (that’s also his name) is a successful actor, cuddly handsome and currently working in the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre‘s production of Miss Lily’s Fabulous Feather Boa. 

People on Bicycles is celebrating our first year providing interesting stories about Perth’s bicycle culture, running workshops and cycling classes. We’re quite stoked with how our social enterprise is growing and we’re keen to share our success by supporting other non-profit organisations and community groups. Atma Cycles is one example of our partnership program and it was high time to extend our portfolio.

So, you may be wondering, what does a theatre have to do with bicycles? Well, nothing and everything: we believe creating, nurturing and growing our local cycling culture means that we need to look at our community holistically and encourage riding a bicycle not just because it’s such awesome fun, but because it’s often an easy (and always a healthy way) to get around. Looking at the calendar of events that encourage people to cycle, it is vast and ever growing, particular in the lead-up to Bikeweek. All of these are worthy projects that deserve people’s support. The question is, what can People on Bicycles do to add value?

Instead of creating additional, competing events we are seeking opportunities that add more layers to our community. We love incentives and sometimes deterrents help. In this partnership we see two carrots: our partnership with the theatre provide our community (that’s you) with free tickets to performances, yipee! And secondly: the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is a great example of a venue that’s easy to reach by bicycle (or train and bus, which are literally 30 seconds from the venue). The stick: the parking crunch in Fremantle’s CBD (enough said).

Another contemplation in joining The Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s adoption program was: how is our donation used? Jess O’Nions of the theatre explains, “We’ve recently launched a campaign to raise $42,500 to go toward extending our schools programs to students that do not ordinarily have access to arts experiences.”

In addition, should the theatre reach it’s target, the Federal Government will match the funds dollar for dollar. This is why we’re keen to spread the word about the program as individuals can also adopt. Check out the puppets and find out more how you can be involved.

We’re looking forward to sharing this program’s benefits with you soon. The next upcoming play in April will be The Little Prince. 

Humans on Bikes: Reaching beyond the strong and fearless

I met up with Sara Stace, creator of Humans on Bikes, Board Director of Cycle and Executive Director of Link.Place.Live, at the picturesque bike friendly cafe Sassys on the Swan in Perth recently and asked her a few questions about her passion for bicycles and her work.

I wondered how her passion for bicycles started and I found her story was basically similar to mine and many others that ride in normal clothes. Sara uses her passion to inspire others via her ‘hobby’ and create policies to support more people on bicycles through her day job.This is what she had to say:

“I am from Perth originally and my passion for bicycles started when I was young. I rode my bike everywhere. I rode to school, to uni and to work. All my friends rode and I didn’t really think about it.

Now I am a transport rider and ride a cargo bike and drop the kids to school. Working on Humans on Bikes and being a board member on Cycle is really my ‘hobby’.

Only 1-2% of people consider themselves bike riders, 7% use bikes for transport and are confident riders, 33% are interested but concerned and 57% say ‘no way’ will they get on a bike. Infrastructure is usually aimed at the first two groups, the strong and the fearless and, unfortunately, fails the other groups. The 33% of the population that is interested but concerned, may ride for transport if more separated bike lanes and paths are provided.

The idea of Humans on Bikes follows a similar format as Humans of New York. People send photos in from all over the world. I also talk to people I see riding and they share their story and pose for a photo.

The biggest challenge in promoting cycling has been convincing bureaucrats and politicians. Clover Moore, City of Sydney Mayor, is gutsy and has a strong vision regarding what she wants to achieve to make a better city. Moore is often attacked by the media and this puts off other politicians and bureaucrats.

My biggest achievements so far have been writing the Walking, Riding and Access to Public Transport  and the ACT Active Travel Framework.

Changes are happening. Less people want their own car and more people are walking, riding and using public transport. More people will consider shared vehicles and use private online sharing services like Go Get, or Car Next Door  that are similar to Air BnB. In the next 20-30 years there will be electric driverless shared vehicles.

In the future we won’t need extra family cars. People will ride, walk or share driverless cars so there will be less car ownership. Everyday bike riding will reach beyond the strong and fearless bike riders to include all those interested in riding, as their concerns will be better addressed.

Imagine the future with less individual car ownership. There will be less car parking and a move to higher and better uses for parking spaces such as proper separated bike lanes, alfresco dining or more trees and playgrounds.”

Oh beautiful suburbia

Owning a five bedroom home with double garage and garden situated in a quiet urban neighbourhood is synonymous with living the accomplished, settled life. In fact, home ownership remains one of the hallmarks of living the Australian dream.

There is nothing wrong with this dream per se. Only that isn’t actually a dream anymore, but a reality for many. The detached, single house has not only become a tangible for more Australians, the demand for it has let to an enormous urban sprawl which fundamentally shaped the faces of our cities, the way we travel within them and our expectation of its infrastructure. What does that mean? Let’s say you are living in the pictured neighbourhood: Do you expect to find a supermarket nearby? Will there be a school within reach? What about your local library, hairdresser or restaurants? How far will your workplace be away? And how will you get to all of these places?

While many would say ‘yes’ to all of the above, the common expectation is that our desired destinations outside of home only require a short drive by car and a hopeful quick opportunity to park nearby. Look at universities, hospitals, shopping centres – in fact, picture any popular destination and you’ll also be able to imagine it’s car park. The suburbia we have come to love has become a place where we cook, eat, sleep and spend those hours in between said activities. The rest of our lives has become a careful construction of journeys to and from.

For many people this kind of life works. It is desirable for – predominantly mothers – to taxi children around town and contribute to their education and physical exercises that way. Our car offers a safe commute, a place for private conversations, contemplations. It is safe, fast, flexible, always available.

There are obvious moments when our expectations aren’t met: we’re stuck in traffic, can’t find parking or having to pay to park. Usually these moments remain without consequences and only become a topics of shared complaints around the kitchen table, with work colleagues or anyone else who cares to join in the shared disappointment. There aren’t any consequences because our demands are “more parking” and “better infrastructure” by which we mean more roads for cars.

Suburbia has a direct impact on our quality of life and level of health. When science warns us about the prevalence and danger of sedentary lifestyles, the time we spend at work sitting is only half the picture. For many the other half is usually spend tucked behind the steering wheel, sitting. The life in suburbia demands a price beyond its mortgage. It asks for the commitment to maintaining things they way they are: the job, the travel, the car.

Is there a viable alternative to living comfortably yet more actively? When we dream of ‘livable neighbourhoods’ and ‘connected communities’ do we just imagine a group of detached single houses next to a train line, or an extra shared path we can ride on? Maybe we just mean a bit more time so we can build a bit more exercise into our day?

As long as the majority of us want a slice of the Australian Dream there will be more single houses and we all live more of the same. Long live suburbia!

Nothing is killing us…

Grunting while lifting heavy objects, running upstairs, wiping off sweat – part of your daily life? Probably not. We successfully eradicated physical activity from our life, as much as possible. Instead we reserve a sweet spot for exercise in our diaries. When we feel like it. Or have spare time. Truth is we all prefer to take the lift, drive the car. Or even better: do nothing. Unless people are motivated to look and feel better or their doctor’s prognosis of impending diabetes or heart disease have provided sufficient fear.

This isn’t really news. In 2012 10% of the population of Australia aged 15 years and over said they were on a diet trying to either lose weight or other health reasons. We know that our screen time, which means sitting in front of work computers and TV’s at home, is taking up 58 hours per week of an adult life. Only one in ten Australians takes the recommended 10.000 steps per day. Hands on your heart, are you “moderately active” for 30 minutes most days of the week as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare suggests?

Profoundly baffling health advise has been rare: we know that our diet and exercise affects our health, our heart, organ and brain functions, mood. Everything we do, from the foods and drinks we choose (or not) to ingest to the amount of time we move, influences who we are, how we feel and how productive we are. Also no news is that these daily choices aren’t great: 63% of all Australians are overweight and obese. The prognosis isn’t rosy: most of us will develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the future. If these are too abstract a term think amputated limbs, clogged arteries, lost eyesight. Lost quality of life.

Yet, what are we doing about this? Nothing.

Occasionally swapping a muffin with an apple just won’t cut the mustard. Taking a walk on the beach on the weekend doesn’t mean our sedentary lifestyle has just been turned around. Signing up to Jenny Craig or buying a gym membership may be fueled by motivation. But statistics don’t lie and they tell us that neither diets nor gyms are the solution to our current conundrum.

Creating lasting change in our diet and lifestyle requires a basic understanding of two driving forces: motivation and habit. Motivation means a person has a reason for acting or behaving in a particular way. This reason could be to feel happier, look slimmer or it could be an upcoming test at our GP. We consciously remind us of the reason for our behaviour and this conscious process doesn’t last for a long time. Habits come into play. Habits are a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. Habits don’t need reminders. We just do.

If contemporary diet and lifestyle are causing diseases, the only solution is to create a culture that fosters healthy habits.

There is no easy quick-fix. Our current culture favours all of the habits that make us sick: from city designs that put cars first instead of active transport like the use of buses, trains, walking or cycling. Poor quality food that is cheaper, faster and sweeter on the pallet. Think of any celebration whether it is Christmas, Birthdays, ANZAC Day or Easter, each one comes with its own set of sweet treats that are part of the tradition. Think of how we treat each other: You’re sad? Here, have a piece of chocolate. You did great in an exam? Congratulations, have an ice cream.

If we want to change a situation caused by a multitude of factors then there is no one solution and neither policy changes nor sole individual champions can be the answer. One thing is clear though if we do want to change anything we can’t start with nothing. We’ll have to tackle everything. From consumer driven demands, fairer access to better infrastructure all of it must be on the table.

 

 

The Observer of Perth Cycle Culture

Back in 2011, after being exposed to renowned Copenhagen based, Dutch architect Gehl, a visionary of Urban pedestrian and cycle friendly design, Amanda launched her own project observing and documenting Perth’s changing pace and style of riding bicycles.

“The cycle culture, which Gehl’s work helped flourish in Europe fascinated me and I was, and still am, envious of this lifestyle. It seems so civilised and simple because it is”, said Amanda, the mastermind of belles, pedals & chains. Her blog, a photo diary of bicycles she comes across in Perth, or anywhere else she and her co-blogger Sascha travel to, features the beautiful, bespoke treadlies people are floundering in urban spaces. It is an ode to the loved, well-made and elegant way of riding a bicycle.

Having been exposed to the European way of all things bike, Amanda noticed the change of culture in Perth, a move from total Lycra dominance to a more diverse look of the cycling landscape.  “I suddenly noticed other bikes on the street: fixies, vintage style, people wearing normal clothes, some without helmets.  I was like, ‘hang on something is happening here! Could there really be a change in the culture of movement here in Perth where car has always been king?’  I wanted to document that change so that other people could see what was happening on the streets of Perth.  I’m a very visual person and Sascha would often comment that I have eyes like a hawk. Maybe that makes me perfect for this project.  I would argue that she has become the same as me though.”

The photos of belles, pedals & chains are spontaneous anecdotes of pedal-by bike lovers on their way around town. The posts’ headlines are a testimony to the bloggers eye for detail, highlightling and naming the pictures most defining feature and leaving space for readers appreciation of the art of saving candid moments of everyday life.

The need to capture Perth’s “Europefication” was fuelled by Amanda’s desire to bring a bit of cycle friendliness home. “I really, really, really want to live in a city where riding a bike is normal, like Copenhagen and Amsterdam. I have a Danish bike myself.”

“The blog started out being about Perth but as we travel a lot we introduced photos of other cities.  It was a natural progression.  I was lucky to have been relocated to Melbourne for nearly six months in 2012 so the blog became very Melbourne centric then.  Such an inspiring city.”

“As Perth is so isolated, it’s a great way for people to check in with what’s happening in other cities. That’s really important.  I sometimes think we need to be constantly reminded of other places. The blog has become about cities and civilisation in this point in time.”

“The culture has definitely changed and there’s real momentum out there.  It was all Lycra and now you see handmade bikes, vintage, fixies and most importantly, a lot more women riding bikes.”

“We need to be doing more work though to encourage the after hours, weekend and short trips by bikes.  In Victoria, there’s been lots of work on providing infrastructure in suburbs so that people can get the shift from cars to bikes 24/7.  I think we also need to normalise riding a bike so it becomes more mainstream and for all ages. There’s still so much work to do.”

Work which Amanda and her blog are supporting and her commitment doesn’t go unnoticed. “We’ve had lots of messages via our Facebook page or through Instagram that people love the blog and can’t believe it’s based in Perth.  I just hope it might help to inspire people to dust off their bike.  I also hope we can show that riding a bike can be normal and doesn’t require special clothes, as it’s no big deal and age nor gender should be a barrier. The City of Sydney often use our photos in there bike promotion so maybe we are making a small difference somewhere.”

 

Although Amanda has been running her blog for four years now those looking for the repeat selfie on her Dutch bike will be disappointed. “Our privacy is pretty important because we want the blog to be about documenting what we see, not what WE do”, said Amanda.  “A bit of mystery is also really important.  There’s not enough mystery in our lives these days.”

Riding a bicycle in style

There is “riding a bicycle” and there is “racing on a bicycle”. the two are fundamentally different: from the attitude of the person, the vehicle between their legs down to the shoes on their feet. one requires lightweight, expensive sports gear, the other is only limited by people’s imagination.

People racing bicycles will find a market saturated with gadgets, primarily targeting male riders. There is very little wrong with catering for a majority, however, people riding bicycles for transport or recreation will find very few pieces of equipment that actually do make a difference to their way of getting around. While there is not much special gear they may have to have, those items that do, like panniers, bells or rain coats, will only suit the look and feel of the more sporty crowd.

Caz Nicklin, author and director of online retailer Cyclechic, made the same discovery in 2008. “I started my business Cyclechic because I loved cycling but felt so let down by the lack of stylish accessories on the market. My first mission was to find a helmet that was safe but didn’t make me look like a dork. When I found the Bern helmets, I started to blog about them. I bought 12 helmets to sell from my flat and they sold really fast so I knew a business selling stylish accessories for the growing female market had potential. Cyclechic was born.

Caz’ business has grown from providing access to stylish helmets and now features a large range of products including all kinds of accessories such as bags, baskets, panniers and clothing. “My inspiration for my business is people expressing their personal style on their bikes and looking great. I am a woman who likes fashion and cycling – and that is who we cater for – which definitely helps choosing a product range that women want to buy. Our products have to look good, be affordable, safe and practical to make it into our shop.”

Offering products that cater for females on bicycles, who don’t want to don the Lycra, certainly satisfy a need that’s currently not being met elsewhere and continuously growing sales, not only in the UK but also overseas including Australia, prove Caz’ point. However, the entrepreneur is aware of the biggest hurdle yet that prevents women from hopping onto their treadlie.

This is why Caz wrote The Girls’ Bicycle Handbook

, which provides useful tips and tricks from choosing the right bicycle, what to wear and how to get to your destination safely. “Hopefully the book will help more women overcome these barriers and get on their bikes.”

The handbook caters for absolute beginners and may instil a similar passion for bicycles in the reader. “Although I use my bike for transport, it means more to me than just getting from A to B. Yes, I enjoy getting exercise through cycling, but I don’t think of it as a sport. I feel proud that I have chosen a more economically and environmentally sound way to get around and on top of that it makes me feel happy and part of a community. This is why I refer to cycling as an ‘accessible lifestyle choice’ rather than cycling. It is the best way to explain how integral it is to my life.”

Making riding a bike safer: what can we do?

Safety, or lack of perceived and actual safety, is one of the main reasons people don’t choose to ride a bicycle. how can we make riding a bicycle safer?

Building better infrastructure, one in which bicycles, cars and pedestrians are completely separated from each other, may be a quick reply, but not a quick solution. Planning, design, development and implementation takes decades and that’s if only if those involved in infrastructure projects are favouring a separation approach. Our car-centric philosophy is only slowly changing; a painstaking process.

Creating a more harmonious culture on the road may be another approach. Changing people’s behaviour on the road – regardless of how they travel – is a terrific idea and one badly needing implementation. In theory, few people disagree with a statement that “we all have to share and care for each other”. But then there is reality. On our daily commute home we’re sorely reminded that it seems everybody elses mission to get home QUICKLY counts more than safety.

Encouraging road-harmony requires advertising and educational campaigns to change actual road behaviour. Reports looking at behaviour changes as a result of Queensland’s passing distance laws suggest the media blitz around the introduction of the new laws had an instantly positive effect on people’s behaviour.

Admittedly, this can be a costly approach, not as pricy as building a more cohesive network, but still worth a couple of millions, no doubt.

While we might be waiting for both advertising and infrastructure a little while longer is there something we can do to increase our own safety (apart from flatly refusing to ride a bicycle)? Without people on bicycles already riding “out there”, proving and promoting that riding a bicycle is a smart transport solution, there’d be little point in tackling any long term solutions.

What we can look at is the most common factors for accidents. Particularly useful is the Monash Alfred Cycle Crash Study (MACCS), completed in July 2012, which collected data from 158 patients who were presenting at two emergency departments in Melbourne.

Reading a comprehensive crash report may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It is fascinating, completely worthwhile and I encourage you to give it a go though.

Firstly, there are a few parameters of the study that slightly skew the image: the study surveyed people on bicycles who had been involved in an accident – excluding fatalities. The majority of interviewees were male, between the age of 35 and 54. Almost all possessed a drivers licence. More than half were riding more than 50 kilometres weekly and almost all of the other half were riding even further – more than 100 kilometres per week. If your guess is they were mainly riding road bikes you’d be spot on. And yes, most wore a helmet, also no surprise given Australia’s helmet laws.

In other words, according to this study, if you’re male, middle-aged, riding long distances you’re more likely to have an accident. Well, the majority of people on bicycles tick those boxes, it doesn’t mean young female riders are safe.

Elements of the study that were useful (keeping in mind above bias and the small sample number) are the following: 60% of the accidents occurred as a single road user crash, meaning only the rider was involved. The other 40% of crashes involved moving cars, other bicycles, parked cars and stationary cars (in exactly this hierarchy of occurence).

More specifically, of the 21 cases which involved moving cars the cars had been turning (either parallel left turn, same direction or across an intersection).

Particularly interesting was the fact that more than half of the riders involved in an accident were travelling at or over 20 kilometres an hour. Given that more than half of the accidents only involved the bicycle speed is a crucial factor. People travelling on fast road bikes have little time to respond to obstacles. Unfortunately, being conducted in Melbourne, tram tracks are a big problem.

So, advice to take with you when riding out and about: slow down, pay attention to objects in front of you and watch out for turning cars. On that note, happy pedalling.

 

Cycling: Creating a Culture of Positivity

News about accidents and fatalities on our roads – regardless of people’s mode of transport – is always terribly sad. If the incident involved a person on bicycles it can be particularly intimidating for other people on bicycles.

Unfortunately bad news is always a great angle. Media outlets thrive on it like mushrooms on manure. We love to focus on problems. Accident between two people – one in a car the other on a bike – makes great headlines and it solicits opinions. We love problems and love our opinions about the problems even more!

If there’s any doubt about that have a read of any random news article and scroll to  the ensuing comments. The follow a reoccurring pattern: blame, shame, entitlement (I pay tax and you don’t), introduction of licensing for bicycles, further escalation. This is terribly good click bait (read: money).

What it also inadvertently does is creating an aura of threat, humiliation, negativity and fear. Riding a bicycle becomes dangerous undertaking were the perceived risk is disproportionate to its actual risk. For those who could hop on their treadlie for a short commute the mere thought of swapping to a bicycle becomes absurd. Why would you put yourself into harms way if you can drive and it’s much safer?

It’s very easy to get caught up in focusing on the dangers of riding a bicycle. With any activity there’s no denying that it involves some risks. However, the truth is, you can also slip in your shower, chop your vegies mistake your index finger for a carrot. Would you a) consider giving up showering and eating vegetables? and b) continuously talk about the perils of personal hygiene or food preparation? And c) would they actually stop you from doing either? No, I didn’t think so.

Many aspects of our daily life contain high levels of risk. In fact, you’re probably sitting comfortably in front of your computer or mobile phone reading this and completely disregarding the fact that sitting for prolonged times will cause serious diseases, shorten your life and eventually kill you. Will you stop you from sitting? Nah, didn’t think so.

Tragedies and accidents, unfortunately, are newsworthy and paint a stark picture of an activity that brings joy, ease and exhilarating happiness to many. The mundane daily ride may not a story that makes the front page. The routine is not news, but it doesn’t mean it’s completely boring.

Just it’s not a page turner it doesn’t diminish the impact of this daily dose of happiness which people experience when they swap their bicycle.

So, how do we find a balance between acknowledging the perils and sharing the good stuff? How can we make positivity part of how we talk about riding a bicycle? Exploring the many facets of the culture of riding a bicycle in Australia is certainly a way to do it.