Limiting global warming and defining sustainable development have both been recently negotiated at the global level. Simon Vincett asks Australia’s leaders how bike riding can play a role in our national commitments. In November 2015, the Paris Conference on Climate Change reached, for the first time since the inaugural Conference of Parties (COP) in
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Iain Treloar reflects on a lifetime spent riding up the same hill. Up at the reservoir, the golden hills roll down to the sea. The air is hot and arid, and other than the distant howl of a truck’s engine brakes as it descends the Main South Road, it’s peaceful. A breeze sends a shiver
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With multi-party interest at the federal level in making our cities more liveable and productive, will governments embrace bike riding for all it can offer? Simon Vincett investigates. Advocates of active transport in Australia could heave a sigh of relief when Malcolm Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott as Prime Minister in September 2015. Gone was a head of government ideologically committed to more roads for cars as the sole solution to transport
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Too busy to get as much time on the bike as you’d like? Don’t worry—Lee Rodgers explains that the secret to improving your performance is to train smarter, not longer. “If only I had more time to train, I’d be so much quicker!” It’s a common refrain of the time-constrained cyclist, bemoaning the lack of
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Bart Sbeghen reports on the growing phenomenon of premium end-of-trip facilities in some of the nation’s most progressive commercial buildings and offices. Photos: Karl Hilzinger, Hormuzd Khodaiji. The phenomenon may not be obvious to most people, probably because of the movement’s quite literally underground nature. That was until a front page article in The Financial
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Do you use a hook turn to turn right? It’s a great risk-reduction tool for riders, Simon Vincett explains. Moving to the middle of the road to turn right is a nerve-wracking situation for many bike riders but fortunately it can be mostly avoided. The answer is a hook turn. Hook turns are familiar to
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There are many confident riders who have the knack of identifying the risks on the roads, and who have developed good riding practices to manage the uncertainty that shadows every vulnerable road user. But are riders totally responsible for their welfare, or do other road users, and roads management authorities, also have an obligation
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Is there a better measure of something’s value than the smiles it brings? Cargo bikes carry cartloads of smiles for a wide variety of people, as well as smile-value for businesses. Simon Vincett investigates. Abby started using a wheelchair when she was about four years old. Before then she had specialised strollers. Abby doesn’t walk
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Are you confident of when to give way and when to take your turn in a roundabout? Simon Vincett explains. To ride a roundabout confidently you need to be assertive about taking your turn and you need to indicate clearly. Traffic can flow quickly, so you must be clear about what you’re doing. The rules
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As bike rider numbers increase on Australia’s roads, so too do calls for law reform to cater for vulnerable road users. Simon Vincett investigates. Craig Saunders loved to ride. He was fit and confident—a sensible road user. He knew the roads in Tasmania’s Huon Valley, just south of Hobart, like the back of his hand. He
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