On yer bike: cycling is the new mode of transport

Photo by Peter Fisher, courtesy of Tridente Architects

Photo by Peter Fisher, courtesy of Tridente Architects
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Tuesday, 13 January 2009

The number of people cycling to work in Adelaide has increased by almost 50% in a five-year period, particularly among well-educated professionals, according to a University of Adelaide study.

Transport expert Dr Jennifer Bonham says the most recent Census statistics show that 41.9% more people (6498 in total) are cycling to work in Adelaide's urban areas, with increasing numbers of women living near the city opting for the bicycle over other methods of transport.

Dr Bonham will present her findings at the Australian Cycling Conference at the University of Adelaide next Monday 19 January.

The conference, scheduled on the rest day of the Tour Down Under, will include cycling researchers and transport planners from Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Key topics under discussion include community bike fleets, reducing the number of cycling accidents, strategies to encourage cycling as a preferred mode of transport, "pedalling hatred" and gender cycling trends.

Case studies will also be presented on an Aboriginal bike fleet project in Sydney, a workplace cycle challenge in England which involved 38 organisations, and a study of Brisbane's network of bike lanes.

Macquarie University PhD candidate Adrian Emilsen will discuss motorists' attitudes to cyclists, highlighting an incident in Sydney last May when a training group of 50 road cyclists were brought down in a collision with a car that was considered an unprovoked act of road rage.

Researchers from Monash University will also present their findings on behavioural patterns of commuter cyclists in Melbourne.

Dr Bonham says the resurgent interest in cycling for urban transport is putting pressure on planners and governments to improve bike networks and understand the factors which influence cyclists.

"Cycling has an important role to play in short to medium distance journeys in a carbon-constrained world and transport, health and census statistics show that cycling is on the increase in Australia," Dr Bonham says.

The conference is being supported by Unley and Adelaide City Councils, Office of Cycling and Walking, Bicycle Institute of South Australia, HUB Traffic and Transport and the University of Adelaide.

Full details of the conference program can be found at www.hubtt.com.au/australiancyclingconference

 

Contact Details

Dr Jennifer Bonham
Email: jennifer.bonham@adelaide.edu.au
Senior Lecturer
Department of Geography, Population and Environment
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 4655
Mobile: 0406 399 249


Mr David Ellis
Email: david.ellis@adelaide.edu.au
Website: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/
Deputy Director, Media and Corporate Relations
External Relations
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 5414
Mobile: +61 (0)421 612 762