The Wheels of change

The City of Sydney wants more of us to cycle to work but how feasible is it? Mark Chipperfield talks to some commuters who are already on their bikes.

Former Patrick boss Chris Corrigan does it. Celebrity litigant Jodee Rich seems to do little else. Even Chip Goodyear, the CEO of BHP Billiton, likes to dabble. And the federal Health Minister Tony Abbott? He can't stop doing it. Celebrity cyclists are now part of our urban landscape - whether it's Rich, the fallen One.Tel supremo, removing his bicycle clips outside the Supreme Court or Abbott, the "pedalling pollie", racing towards another political gaffe. But Corrigan, Goodyear and our other captains of industry might be more difficult to spot beneath their helmets, reflective vests and other cycling paraphernalia.

Cycling, often seen as the preserve of dotty vicars, bad-tempered vegans and unkempt geography teachers, is becoming an accepted form of everyday transport in cities around the world. And while the number of Sydneysiders commuting by bike on a daily basis is still minuscule (less than 2 per cent), their ranks are swelling. Cycle traffic over the Harbour Bridge has leapt from 80 a day in 1996 to 340 in 2005. A survey of numbers on Oxford Street, Ultimo Road and Pyrmont Bridge reveals a similar pattern.

Fear of global warming, congested city roads, E-tolls and a collapsing public transport system have forced many commuters to consider cycling as a viable - and healthy - alternative to the car, bus or train. Anyone crossing Oxford Street on a weekday morning will see a constant stream of cyclists heading into the city. Public bike racks are full. And bicycle sales are booming - last year Australians bought more bikes (1.3 million) than cars.

"I caught the cycle bug when I was working in Florence," says City of Sydney councillor John McInerney, who has been cycling to work regularly for the past two years. "Like the Europeans, I don't do the whole Lycra thing. I just wear my everyday clothes." Although the 67-year-old architect and town planner owns a motor scooter and a Toyota Prius, he finds cycling quicker, easier and more relaxing than driving. Apart from commuting to work from his home in Redfern, he also uses the bike on weekends for trips to the Sydney Fish Market at Pyrmont and Broadway shopping centre. "I like the scooter but parking is fairly restricted. Plus, you see so much more when you're on a bike. As an architect I love discovering little backstreets and interesting buildings I might otherwise miss."

Alex Unwin, CEO of Bicycle NSW, believes that after years in the political (and town-planning) wilderness, cycling is finally gaining the recognition it deserves - in part because of the sheer numbers of people now taking to the road. "Anecdotally, we know there has been a big increase over the past few years," he says. "The high cost of fuel, concern about the environment - they have played their part. More importantly, cycling is now seen as a mainstream activity and not just something on the fringes. It's just a commonsense way of getting about." Unwin is also encouraged by the success of the City of Sydney-sponsored Ride2Work program, which provides cycle training and support for corporate types - many of whom haven't ridden a bike since they were at school. "The fact that lawyers, judges, investment brokers, town planners, architects and others are taking up cycling has to be a good thing," he says.

AMP, ANZ, Macquarie Bank, Telstra, ING, Westpac, Morgan Stanley, BT Financial, Lend Lease, Colonial First State, Bluescope Steel and the Australian Taxation Office are just some of the organisations in Sydney that have signed up for the Cycling in the City Project (also called Ride2Work) since it was launched in 2005.

The project, the first of its type in Australia, offers free proficiency training, maintenance workshops and advice on route planning to organisations who demonstrate a commitment to cycling by providing changing facilities, showers, lockers and bicycle racks. Participants, who need minimal cycling experience, are then asked to cycle to work for three months and log their kilometres - and experiences - over that period.

To date, 140 riders have completed the program, with another 125 currently undergoing training. The City of Sydney estimates that participants have so far cycled some 39,000 kilometres, saved 8288 kilograms of greenhouse gases and burnt 4797 megajoules of energy - the equivalent of 4171 Mars Bars.

"The Cycling in the City program has exceeded our expectations," says Chris Gray, director of training at the environmental consulting firm GEMS Pty Ltd. The company won the contract to operate the scheme, which has now run out of funding. "[Financial firm] UBS had so many applications that they decided to pay for 10 extra places out of their own pocket." Feedback ranged from the positive to the ecstatic - one participant said cycling helped him to manage his diabetes (and lose eight kilograms); another claimed the program had improved his love life. "A highlight was going across the bridge and through town with Valentines' Day flowers strapped to my backpack," he wrote.

Not only do the participating companies need to be bike-friendly, they also have to give employees precious time off during the week to take part in the project. "Apart from the positive feedback from riders, 97 per cent of those who completed the training are still cycling to work on a regular basis," says Gray. "That's impressive since very few had done much cycling before - certainly not in city traffic."

Bike lobbyists, however, have found the State Government less supportive. Former roads minister Carl Scully was a passionate advocate of cycling but his successors have not been as enthusiastic. Michael Costa slashed funding for bike paths from $15 million to $5 million in the 2004-2005 budget and abolished the department's bike safety unit. The future of the Labor Government's ambitious BikePlan 2010, which promised cycleways in the western suburbs and along the Pacific coast, remains in limbo.

Most of the pioneering work on bike paths, education and road safety is now being done at local government level. Randwick, Parramatta, Leichhardt, Sutherland, Ryde, Bankstown and Canada Bay councils all have progressive bicycle policies but it is the City of Sydney that is really setting the pace. Apart from the Ride2Work initiative, the council funds its own cycling development unit and in February commissioned a $210,000 Public Spaces and Public Life Study, which aims to wrest central Sydney away from the motor car and return it to pedestrians and cyclists. The 10-month study will be led by Professor Jan Gehl, a Danish architect and urban planner who has undertaken similar studies in New York, London, Copenhagen, Oslo, Rotterdam and Stockholm.

The 71-year-old professor of Urban Design at the School of Architecture in Copenhagen is credited with transforming the Melbourne CBD into a more liveable environment by creating more space for pedestrians and designated cycle paths. Now he would like Sydney to emulate Copenhagen, where one in three people commutes to work by bicycle. "We have had a long love affair with cars," he has said. "[But] we have forgotten a number of values and qualities which are related to people. We need to see the city as a meeting place, not just somewhere you need to move through."

The new study is just one of many pro-cycling initiatives unveiled by the City of Sydney. Under its Cycle Strategy, the council would like to connect each of the city's "villages" with a network of dedicated cycle routes and spur a 500 per cent increase in cycle journeys over the next decade. "By riding a bicycle instead of driving, individuals can not only make a difference to climate change but can also bring demonstrable benefits in less traffic congestion and reduced noise, air and water pollution," says Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

The council has allocated $3.5 million towards cycling over four years and will also draw on funds from its $180 million streetscape upgrade project for the CBD, Redfern Street, Oxford Street, Glebe Point Road and Crown Street.

While bicycle lobbyists applaud the plans, they claim the strongest argument for an integrated network of bike paths will come from Sydney's growing band of dedicated everyday cyclists. Early adopters say the biggest obstacle is overcoming existing prejudices against city cycling. "I'm amazed at how many excuses people use to not cycle in Sydney," says television reporter Christopher Zinn, 49, who regularly cycles from Bondi to the city. "They whine that it's too steep or there's not a shower or changing rooms at their workplace. Frankly, with all the gears on an average bike these days, there's no need to break out in a sweat."

The excuse he hates most, however, is the old one of safety. "I have pedalled since I was at school and then as a university student, with only one collision of note. I am sure the health benefits of cycling, which are very many, for the population as a whole far exceed the health costs of those individual cyclists who are unlucky enough to be injured." But Zinn admits that he has a love-hate relationship with the drivers of cars (he also owns one), taxis and buses who often do not give cyclists enough room.

Self-confessed bike nut Jenny Burn, head of HR shared services at funds manager Perpetual (and recently elected president of Bicycle NSW), is typical of the new corporate cyclist. Apart from doing something for the environment, she finds cycling more efficient than public transport. "Riding from Glebe into the city is actually too quick so I extend my trip whenever I can by riding down to Millers Point or I quite often meet a friend at Bondi."

Her company supports cycling by providing bike racks, lockers, changing rooms and ironing equipment for the 20 or so employees who ride to work. "I can't tell you what a difference it makes," she enthuses. "And not just for cycling to work - it's great for any other recreational activity."

According to Burn, 47, the hardest thing is not the physical exertion or the attitude of other road users but the extra level of organisation required - no one wants to cycle home to retrieve a forgotten folder or missing piece of clothing. "I use a pannier and find I can carry everything I need. Quite often I'll pick up something for dinner on the way home - people are surprised how much you can carry on a bike." By using her bike and having groceries home delivered, Burn rarely needs to drive her car - last year it clocked up just 5000 kilometres, mostly outside Sydney.

District Court judge Richard Cogswell SC began cycling to work seven years ago - mostly as part of his fitness regimen - and maintains his sartorial standards by keeping two spare suits, freshly laundered shirts and an extra pair of shoes at his chambers in Goulburn Street. "All I need to take with me is my underwear, socks and a clean handkerchief," he says. "My paperwork fits easily into a pannier on the bike."

Cogswell, 55, does the 15-kilometre round trip from Balmain to the city once a week. The rest of the time he uses public transport. "I really cycle to work for the sheer enjoyment of it," he says. "If I rode in every day it might become a bit of a chore. This way I actually look forward to my Thursday trips across the Anzac Bridge." He supports responsible use of cars: "The sensible expenditure of energy is something we should all think about. I know many people need to use cars but I'd also like to see a more balanced city. Not only is cycling environmentally sustainable, it's good for your health and just such a pleasant way to travel."

While safety remains an issue for commuter cyclists - most would like to use dedicated bikeways rather than face a daily tussle with buses, cars and taxis - serious accidents are rare. According to the RTA, very few cyclists die on NSW roads - in 1994, the worst year on record, there were 23 cycle fatalities compared with 439 people killed in cars. But each year about 1000 cyclists are injured, mostly by car doors. "I once had some schoolkids throw fruit at me," says Burn, who has been cycling for more than 20 years. "That was pretty scary - especially being hit by an orange."

Most cyclists say the compensations are abundant. But the best argument may not have anything to do with health, carbon emissions or noise pollution. Traffic congestion may soon affect the economic health of our city, not just our lungs. "It's no coincidence that the most liveable modern cities also happen to be the most economically viable cities," says Unwin. "Sydney will find it more and more difficult to compete globally unless it solves its transport problems."

The way ahead

The Draft Cycle Strategy and Master Plan, which has yet to be ratified by the council, sets out the City of Sydney's blueprint to create "a comfortable and bicycle-friendly environment in Sydney". The plan aims to increase the number of bicycle trips within the city from 2 per cent to 10 per cent by 2016. A key component is the provision of a network of cycle routes, including dedicated bike paths that isolate cyclists from motorised traffic. Tenders for the priority routes have been accepted and construction is expected to begin in June.

Despite these bold decisions, city planners are still dependent on the co-operation of the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), which controls all arterial roads and many secondary routes. The RTA has been lukewarm at best in its support of dedicated cycle paths. As the report also points out, for the Master Plan to really work, the NSW Government would need to fulfil its promise - set out in BikePlan 2010 - to build a number of regional cycling routes across the metropolitan area.

The council has moved ahead with a number of initiatives, such as installing 450 bicycle rings around the city, replacing old-fashioned drainage grates and adding free bike parking at major events, improved signage on existing bike lanes and bicycle rails in a number of shopping areas and parks.

The council is also looking at a proposal from outdoor advertising company JCDecaux to provide free or low-cost bikes to city workers. The CityCycle system, which uses bikes housed in electronic racks, is already operating successfully in Paris, Lyon, Vienna, Gijon and Brussels. In Lyon, residents clocked up 12 million kilometres on the bikes during the first year of operation. JCDecaux's CEO, Steve O'Connor, says Sydney poses some additional challenges - he is not sure whether the system will appeal more to tourists, city residents or commuters. And he doesn't expect it to make an appearance in Sydney until next year at the earliest.

+Annual expenditure using the calorie counter developed by Bicycle Victoria. Assumes 1.15 megajoules for a 60-gram Mars Bar.

*Annual savings in CO2 tailpipe emissions using the Australian Greenhouse Office calculator. www.greenhouse.gov.au/fuelguide/environment.html.