The Tasmanian election has been called for Saturday 19 July and we need all riders to let candidates know cycling infrastructure should be funded by the incoming government.
The Liberal government budget rejected by the parliament slashed funding for cycling grants to local government.
It had budgeted just $1.5 million for 2025–26 to rectify the exclusion of safe pedestrian and cycling connections for the Algona Road roundabout project, and then no more funding for the following three years.
This funding has helped councils in the past to build cycling paths and lanes on local roads, which account for about 80% of the state’s road network.
Without state government support local councils can rarely afford to apply for federal government grants.
Annual cycling infrastructure funding
The state government’s Better Active Transport grants have worked well to help local councils fill out their cycling networks. Some of the most recent high-profile projects to be funded by the program include the Whitewater Creek underpass at Summerleas Road and Spreyton Connector path.
We want to see annual funding to keep the Better Active Transport grants going.
We are not asking for new money but rather a fairer share of the $1.6 billion budgeted for road projects over the next four years. Allocating just $2 million a year to cycling grants would still leave $1.592 billion for roads.
Road projects must include walking, riding
The other government problem we want to see rectified is the government’s adherence to its Walk, Wheel, Ride policy.
Some road projects are still being designed without safe paths and crossings for people riding and walking or being shoved onto councils that can’t afford to fund the connections the government decides are “out of scope”. The most recent culprits are the Algona Road roundabout, Bridgewater Bridge and South Arm Highway duplication.
In 2025 we shouldn’t be having to argue with the government to provide safe places to ride and walk, according to its own policy these should be part and parcel of the project’s design.
Rider education
Our Back on your Bike adult rider education program has been successfully running for the past four years, but our Healthy Tasmania grant funding finishes this month.
These grants are to get new ideas off the ground, but now the program is working to get more people riding we have no way of funding it without government assistance.
We want to see core funding for this essential program that solves so many problems for health, climate change, cost of living and traffic congestion.
Keep track of what’s happening in the election on our Vote Bike advocacy page, where you will also be able to find contact details for candidates as they are announced: https://bicyclenetwork.com.au/our-advocacy/votebike2025/
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