Ride or Walk to School – canberra.bike

Riding to school in the snow

In Finland, children will ride to school on snow in subzero all year round. Clearly, the cold does not hold them back. Without a separated bike path and swept bike paths, it would not happen.

Pyrrhic victories in road safety

It is well-known that motor vehicles tend to squeeze vulnerable road users out of their space. With three tonnes of speeding motor vehicle approaching and the driver oblivious to your presence, this should not be a surprise. The most vulnerable of all are children.

National Cycling Participation Survey

The National Cycling Participation Survey is unusual for Australia. It is a standardised survey that has been repeated every two years since 2011. Repeating the survey regularly is the only way to find and analyse trends. The survey provides data on cycling participation across Australia and estimates of participation in the ACT, too.

ACT active travel investment: what is enough?

L Kingston. Photo MomentsForZen, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Comparing the active travel pledges from the major parties at the 2020 ACT Election with historic benchmarks.

Last updated 7 October 2020

Bike, helmet, and all that stuff

There is so much that children need to learn about bikes, besides just the skills to ride them. Cycling is a lifestyle and riding to school is about that. Extracts from the Ride and Walk to School program from the Physical Activity Foundation.

Ride or Walk to School: Physical Activity Foundation

The Physical Activity Foundation runs the ACT ride to school program. Schools are not resourced for this sort of thing. Bikes, for example, are not something schools would own. Clearly, a child can only learn to ride on a bike. Not every family may be able to afford the bike. Schools hire instruments but not bikes. Here is how it is done.

“The Physical Activity Foundation is a registered Health Promotion Charity based in the ACT and our goal is to reduce the incidence of sedentary lifestyle diseases in children.”
About Us, Physical Activity Foundation

The lifetime cost of a bike

Businesses are accustomed to calculating the lifetime cost of ownership of a motor vehicle. This is something we rarely do in our private lives. An inexpensive new car with an on-road purchase price below $20,000 will cost easily $4000 per annum when all costs are considered. For that price, a family could have a number of very nice bikes. Bikes have a lifetime cost as well and here is one example.

Putting kids on bikes

The Canberra bike stores are fewer, bigger and more competitive. They will usually price match. Bike stores just want the sale. Kids grow fast, and once an enthusiastic cyclist, then always a cyclist. They know you will be back. Pricing for kids bikes starts from $200 and goes up to about $500.

ACT Budget 2020-21: giving cycling a fair cut

June is usually budget time in the ACT. The 2020-21 ACT Budget has been postponed. Canberra.bike looks at the last years budget and what the coming budget could hold. In general, the investment in active travel infrastructure in the ACT is not well documented.

Play space is child’s play

If you have children you will be familiar with hours over many years spent at a playground. Living close to a good playground where both children and busy parents can relax is greatly valued. If you are out on the bike, why not ride there. For small kids, this will be the local playground, however, if they are older there may be a “play space” close by.