With fewer cars and more bike lanes, Australia’s better for cycling than ever before.

When gyms were closed and commuters stuck at home during much of 2020, bike sales soared. People were looking for fun ways to keep fit and not having to contend with gridlock traffic meant jumping on a bike felt safer than it had in a long time. “I’ve been a road cyclist for years and have never felt more relaxed on the roads,” says Melburnian Wayne Gillan. “With less traffic to contend with, you could enjoy the scenery more and worry less about cars.”

In Melbourne, a Bicycle Network survey found there was a 270 per cent increase in the number of riders on key bike paths around the city between November 2019 and April 2020, while Brisbane saw bike traffic increase by 50 per cent on the Bicentennial Bikeway, and Parramatta Council reported an increase of 50 to 60 per cent on bikeways in Sydney’s west.

“We’ve remembered how great it is to be outside and using public space for socialising, bike riding and walking,” says Alexander Miller, Bicycle Network spokesperson. “Street space being used for parklets and outdoor dining or bike lanes gives so many more people the opportunity to use the space.”

The good news for cyclists is that a lot of councils are continuing to try to make bike riding safer and more accessible. “Bike lanes can be built quickly and roads transformed overnight into places that everyone can use,” Alexander says. “A great example is Heidelberg Road in Melbourne [which] had a ‘pop up’ bike lane installed that is now used by people of all ages. You used to be able to count the number of people riding on Heidelberg Road on one hand but now you see children and families riding, chatting and enjoying being outside on a bike.”

Australia’s suburban sprawl means we’re not likely to become cities of exclusive cyclists like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, but experts say there are incredible opportunities to encourage people to cycle to their local train station to commute to CBDs, such as by separating cyclists and cars and improving signage. “In Australia the overall goal, or strategy, should be to make it easier for people to cycle and walk to and from their local public transport station,” Associate Professor Pablo Guillen Alvarez from the University of Sydney’s School of Economics writes on The Conversation. “For most of us, cycling cannot be an alternative, but a complement, to public transport.”

Alexander says a lot more work is needed to make cycling Australians’ preferred mode of transport. “It will be great when anyone anywhere can feel comfortable to jump on a bike and ride … sometimes to school or work, to the supermarket or café and just for fun,” Alexander says. “To get there, we need to see more protected bike lanes on busy roads, safer speed limits in built-up areas and easy, connected routes from door-to-door.”