State governments and local councils have a strategy to increase participation in walking and cycling activities – referred to by planners as “active transport”. Doing so would improve citizens’ health and air quality, reduce emissions and traffic congestion, and increase accessibility and liveability, the strategies say.
Yet cycling participation rates remain relatively stagnant in Australia, barely shifting in the past decade. Some experts argue cycling has more scope to grow than walking because of the amount of short daily trips many people take within cycling distance of their house or as part of shared trips with public transport. While there are recent reports of surging e-bike sales as fuel prices soar, it seems that a widespread bike riding culture remains elusive.