Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore seems more determined than ever to see the city brimming with bicycles
December 12, 2012
Since her forced resignation from the NSW legislature, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has continued to push her bicycle agenda as part of the city CBD’s transport access solution.
Moore has seized on an independent count of bicycle use in the centre of Sydney, which shows an 89 per cent increase in the overall number of people riding bikes over the past two-and-a-half years.
The biannual count shows that on some routes on an average weekday as many as 2000 people are choosing to ride into the CBD.
Moore says the latest figures confirmed that many Sydneysiders were happy to choose bike riding as a transport option.
“Once again, we’re seeing a growth in the overall number of people riding bikes,” she says.
The bicycle count shows a 93 per cent increase in the morning peak between 6am and 9am and an 85 per cent jump in the afternoon between 4pm and 7pm since 2010.
“Our next task is to work with the NSW Government to connect and expand our network of safe, separated cycleways,” Moore says.
The independent bike counts found the top five peak hour intersections over the past six months were:
• Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway near Upper Fort Street – 2,064 bike trips, up from 1,730 in March
• King Street and Kent Street intersection – 1,928 trips up from 1,323 in March
• Oxford Street, Moore Park Road, Queens Road and Lang Road – 1,396 trips up from 932 in March
• Taylor Square, Oxford Street and Bourke Street intersection – 1,923 trips up from 1,728 in March
• Liverpool Street, College Street and Oxford Street – 1,876 trips up from 1,795 in March
“We know from experience that people are choosing bike riding as a valid transport option and if they have safe, attractive infrastructure they will use it,” Moore says.
“Through the new Central Sydney Traffic and Transport Committee we will work together to finish the design of central Sydney’s separated cycleway network by May.”
Moore says the NSW Government had set an ambitious target of doubling local and district trips by bike by 2016.
“We’re working closely with the NSW Government and Transport for NSW to make sure that plans to grow the network are as good as possible,” says Moore.