Australia's bike riding community has responded in force to an expansive mapping project to uncover Australia's most safe and unsafe places to ride.
BikeSpot 2023 has collected more than 34,000 submissions within two months of its launch and the results provide insights into people's perception of safety.
The interim results demonstrate the power of protected infrastructure and show that safer routes can attract riders in big numbers.
The overarching objective of the project is to guide decision makers towards prioritising infrastructure that improves the experience for all road users.
In Melbourne, Heidelberg Road through Fairfield and Ivanhoe, where pop-up lanes were installed during the COVID-19 pandemic, features on the list of the safest spots to ride. As does St Kilda Road, where separated bike lanes were completed earlier this year. According to Victorian Government data, the volume of riders on St Kilda Road has tripled since the new lanes were installed.
Interestingly, the St Kilda Road bike lanes also made the list of the most unsafe riding locations, owing to the complexity of some intersections and the ongoing works to build Anzac Station.
In Sydney, topping the list of the safest places to ride was the Wilson Street Cycleway in Everleigh; riders complimented its wide and separated lanes. The calm and popular Bourke Street Cycleway through Surry Hills also made the list, as did the George Street Cycleway in Redfern. The five riding locations considered safest in New South Wales were all separated cycleways.
Bicentennial Bikeway in Brisbane, the Patrick Jonkey Veloway separated path in Adelaide, the Fremantle Rail shared path in Perth and the Paul Truebridge Path in Canberra topped their respective lists.
In Hobart, a new priority crossing at the intersection of Molle and Collins streets earned this location top honours in the list of safest places to ride.
Narrow lanes, insufficient separation, dooring risks and dangerous intersections were all hallmarks of the most unsafe spots in cities across Australia. The list includes King Street in Sydney, Chapel Street in Melbourne and Franklin Street in Adelaide.
The BikeSpot map will remain open for submissions until 31 January 2024, so there is still time to get involved. Head to the webpage here to make your mark.
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