New South Wales advocacy group Better Streets has seized on new cycling expenditure research to call on political parties to spend $15 per person annually to boost riding and walking.
The group has used new research from the University of New South Wales, University of Western Australia and Monash University, which found the Australian Government only spent 90 cents per person on riding and walking compared to $714 on roads annually over the past 20 years.
The researchers concluded that Australia has the smallest number of walking trips of 15 comparable countries across Western Europe and North America and also did badly on the number of bike trips.
The United Nations has called on countries to spend 20% of transport budgets on active transport (Australia is failing to come anywhere near this). Places that are spending 10-20% on active transport include France, Scotland, Sweden and large Chinese cities.
The researchers point to a redirection of road funding to active transport as the most logical way to increase spending, and it’s how other countries have achieved big gains.
Federal election ask
Better Streets is a charity that advocates for street design that prioritises public transportation, walking, and bike riding to improve health and reduce reliance on cars to decrease vehicle emissions.
Better Streets is calling on groups to sign an open letter to political parties ahead of the federal election asking for an increase in funding for walking and riding out to 2035.
For annual expenditure of $15 per person, or $400 million, the group says the government could deliver:
- bike networks in 15 regional cities and towns, similar to Wagga Wagga’s aspiration of a 56km plan
- bike superhighway networks in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, four of which have been shortlisted by Infrastructure Australia
- e-bike subsidies, similar to the recent Tasmanian and Queensland programs
- a new federal unit to oversee the national infrastructure build.
This is based on states and territories matching infrastructure funding.
The open letter can be read at www.betterstreets.org.au/2025-federal-election, and individuals are encouraged to sign as well as groups and businesses.
Or become our friend and subscribe to receive our fortnightly newsletter.