The results are in for BikeSpot 2023, and the expansive crowd-sourced mapping project has reinforced the benefits of protected infrastructure for people who ride bikes, while highlighting areas in need of improvement across the country.
Between October last year and January 2024, the interactive BikeSpot map was open for users to share their riding experiences by adding spots to locations where they felt safe or unsafe on their bikes.
Users could also provide information such as infrastructure type, voice their support for spots left by other users, and add a stress rating for spots they deemed unsafe.
Nearly 73,000 submissions were made by more than 10,000 users around the country.
Crowd-sourced mapping firm CrowdSpot has now completed its analysis and published a national report, which is available in full here.
Among the key findings is that out of the 10 safest spots in Victoria, eight offer physical separation from motor traffic.
While three of those are in the form of off-road paths Heidelberg Road in Fairfield, Albert Street in East Melbourne, St Kilda Road and Exhibition Street in the CBD, all have recently been fitted with protected infrastructure and did not feature in the top 10 safest spots in BikeSpot 2020.
Wellington Street, with its protected lanes in Collingwood, held its place in the top 10, as did Napier Street in Fitzroy and Canning Street through Carlton, neither of which have protected infrastructure but feature modal filters and slow-moving traffic.
The list of top unsafe spots across Melbourne include Hopkins Street in Footscray with no bike lane, the notorious Chapel Street with its narrow bike lane and risk of dooring and Dynon Road with its dangerous intersections.
The safest spots in other locations across the country include the Bicentennial Bikeway in Queensland, the separated bike lane on Wilson Street in Newtown, Sydney, the Intercity Cycleway in Tasmania and the dedicated bike lane on South Terrace in Fremantle.
Other insights from the national report include the finding that two thirds of safe spots are on off-road paths or separated lanes, while more than three quarters of the unsafe spots are due to insufficient infrastructure, often at dangerous intersections.
The hope is that the insights and crowdsourced feedback gathered through BikeSpot can guide the prioritisation of projects to improve safety, and in turn make it easier for more people to ride bikes, across the country.
The complete BikeSpot 2023 is online and available for public viewing here.
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