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Commuters start leaving their cars behind
ONLY a year ago, Perth's growing network of cycle ways seemed dominated by fast moving exercise teams snaking a path to fashionable cafes with alfresco dining. Now - at least on weekdays - the cycle ways are filling with a steady stream of "commuter bikes" loaded with saddlebags or with their riders weighed down with shoulder bags.
Volatile petrol prices and perhaps a desire to keep fit* are leading to ever increasing numbers of motorists forsaking their cars and riding to work either on public transport or a bike.
It is a trend being followed across the world as the unprecedented rise in fuel costs persuades increasing numbers of people that cars are becoming too expensive to run. (In fact the International Energy Agency reported in June that a global reduction in private motoring was partially to blame for the agency lowering its forecast for oil demand.)
In Perth, the reduction in car journeys has become quickly apparent through a sudden increase in commuters using bus and train services. That started earlier this year before oil touched $US 100 a barrel and when the Perth price for unleaded petrol was still around a $1.30 a litre. A poll by the RAC found almost half the city's motorists believed they would leave their cars at home if petrol prices broached $2 a litre.
What is the potential for bicycle commuting in WA? Given the expected and continued volatility of petrol prices, the answer is probably substantial - particularly in Perth where ongoing State Government investment in cycling has already given the city a growing network of first-class cycle ways. Added to that, the majority of Western Australians actually own bikes - 53% of them. At the same time those same bike owners record the highest level of bike usage in the country, according to Planning and Infrastructure Minister, Alannah MacTiernan. The Bicycle Federation of Australia also believes that with the right incentives bike commuting could increase significantly.
If there is a looming problem for bike commuters it is parking, washing and changing facilities once they arrive in the city. (Even some of Perth's CBD bike messengers have problems finding a shower.)
Those commuters who bike to railway stations are being offered more parking spots with a rollout of various sized "Lock 'n' Ride Bike Hubs" that can accommodate 16, 25, or 32 bikes. The government is hoping the hubs will in fact persuade more motorists who use the stations' car park and ride facilities to switch to pedal power. A survey found 60% of vehicles parked in the station car parks had been driven less than 3 km - which in bike terms could have been pedalled in less than 10 minutes.
Although Australia has yet to experience any serious bike parking problems, any big switch to bike commuting could create serious pressures. In Tokyo for example "bike 'n' ride" commuters have become so frustrated by a lack of facilities at suburban railway stations that they jam side streets with parked bikes. But one railway station has come up with an unusual solution. (see: Japan goes underground for bike parking space).
Closer to home, Brisbane has just opened Australia's first purpose-built bike commuter parking facility. It offers 420 secure parking spots, lockers, a fresh towel and shower. It cost $7 million to build and critics complain it could prove more expensive to use than public transport. It costs $20 to become a member and between $5 and $7 a day to use the facilities.
If WA's growth in bike commuting follows European patterns then some of the best examples can be found in Copenhagen and Amsterdam where city authorities are expecting thousands more people to take to bikes.
An international survey just completed by the Earth Policy Institute reports that Copenhagen will spend more than $210 million on bike facilities between now and 2024 in the hope that the number of people cycling to work will rise from the current 36% to 50% by 2015. (The 50% includes extra children cycling to school.)
Amsterdam is also hoping to increase its already substantial battalion of cycling commuters with a $168 million, three-year investment in new bike paths and parking facilities. Currently 55% of Amsterdam's commuter trips over distances of less than 7.5km are covered by bicycle.
Even China, which attracted considerable criticism when it started encouraging people to switch from bikes to cars, is now actively promoting the return of the bike. The Central Government has instructed all city authorities to restore any bike lanes that they removed and Beijing is establishing a private bike rental scheme to provide 50,000 bikes in 200 locations.
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The Bicycle Federation of Australia says that what is needed to boost bike commuting - apart from soaring petrol prices - is more bicycle infrastructure. In a submission to the Garnaut Climate Change Review, the federation puts the case for secure parking at shops, commercial centres and places of employment and workplace change and shower facilities. "Exemplary examples of work-place provisions can be found in many public service buildings in Canberra as well as in the CBDs of Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth," it says. The federation believes building codes should be changed so that "appropriate facilities" can be provided in all new buildings - and retrofitted in existing buildings over the next 10 years. It wants provision for bikes on all public transport "where practicable" and CBD car parking stations persuaded to convert some of their car bays to bike bays. "Sacrificing one car park (bay) can allow eight cycles to be securely stored," the federation says.
Changing behaviour
While commuting to work, by whatever mode, tends to receive the most attention, it only represents 20% of the measured trips made by Australian households. According to the Transport Programs Directorate of WA's Department for Planning and Infrastructure, other trips associated with shopping, personal services and leisure represent the greater proportion of household mobility. In its submission to the Garnaut Review the directorate puts the case for behavioural change programs like TravelSmart, which in Perth has achieved a 10% reduction in private car usage by primarily increasing individual awareness of the travel alternatives. Commenting on an earlier discussion paper released by the Garnaut Review, the directorate said the most substantial barrier to the use of public transport, walking and cycling was not a lack of appropriate infrastructure and services. "While it is acknowledged that good quality travel options to the car must be available in order to change travel behaviour, in the context of Australian cities, the Perth in-depth research reveals that the major determinant in the selection of the car for personal travel is a lack of knowledge of available alternatives," it said. The directorate is pressing for a "National Behaviour Change" program including TravelSmart and LivingSmart, to be part of Australia's response to climate change.
Mixed messages
While commuter cyclists may appear an obvious solution to the world's increasingly problematic mobility problems, the advent of pedal power is not being welcomed everywhere. For example in Washington, National Park Police are taking out their radar guns to clock cyclists using the Capital Crescent Trail as they pedal to get to work. Anyone exceeding 15 mph (24.1 km/h) is now being stopped and warned about speeding - and could be fined $US 50. The trail is shared with joggers and people walking their dogs and both a dog and jogger have collided with a fast-moving cyclist in recent months. Beyond the Capital Crescent Trail American cyclists are still travelling radar-free. The Earth Policy Institute reports a boom in US cycling advocacy groups and says six states and 50 cities now require bicycle ways to be included in all new urban transportation projects. New York City even plans to quadruple its bike network to cover 2900 km by 2030.
