Commuter Cycling Booming in Brisbane
14 March, 2007
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Commuter cycling on Brisbane’s bikeway network has significantly increased by 13 per cent over the past year, Environment and Sustainability Chair Helen Abrahams said.
For the third year in a row, Brisbane City Council’s Active Transport section has conducted annual counts of pedestrians and cyclists on 13 of Brisbane’s busiest shared pathways.
“I am delighted. As a commuter cyclist I am seeing more people commuting to work on a bike,” Cr Abrahams said.
“I do believe these figures show an increase in funding of our bikeway network is needed.”
The counts reveal a significant increase of 10% in the number of cyclists on Saturdays.
“I welcome the increase in recreational cycling on Saturday – this may reveal that some people are actually cycling to do their domestic chores,” she said.
Sunday is now the most popular day for both walking and cycling.
“The survey shows that most people who use our pathways are cyclists, and that most people do use pathways for commuting.
“This shows the importance of funding the connections and links on our bikeway network for commuters.
“There has also been a substantial increase on the Inner City Bypass land bridge. This is due to the addition of two new links from Enoggera to the ICB that has provided easier access for commuters into the city,” she said.
There has been a slight decrease in number of cyclists on the Bicentennial Bikeway.
“It is thought this is because the bikeway may have reached capacity. There is no room for more cyclists to use the bikeway safely.”
The latest figures are taken from counts that were undertaken during a week in October 2006 on both weekdays and weekends.
February figures from the permanent counter on the Eleanor Schonell Bridge have revealed that more than 6,300 cyclists a week cross the bridge.
“Earlier this week, the Lord Mayor’s Transport Plan was released without financial figures. It is important that the Lord Mayor maintains the funds in the budget at the same level in real figures as was set up by former Lord Mayor Jim Soorley.”