If you're fairly new to cycling how do you find out where the bike paths are or which roads are bicycle-friendly? If you want to ride your bike to reach a particular destination how do you know which is the best route to take? We've outlined a few options:

Bike paths

Bike paths are a good place to start as they are traffic-free and usually scenic as they often follow creeks and parkland. All you have to do is enjoy the ride.

Watch out for other trail users such as walkers and ride to the conditions (slow down for blind corners or when passing people).

To help everyone share the paths there is a code of conduct. Cyclists must wear a helmet when using shared paths and give way to pedestrians.

If you live in Melbourne a good place to find your nearest bike path is to have a look in your Melway. It shows shared paths with a broken red line and a bike logo. See our Bike Paths page for more ideas.

Local roads

These are important if you want to use your bike to make local trips to the milk bar, the park, the library or cafe. They have very little traffic and slower motor vehicle speeds and are generally quieter.

The great thing about cycling around your local streets is the familiarity you gain about your neighbourhood. Admire the roses at number 42, watch the progress of the renovations at number 7, wave to the elderly woman on her front porch at number 15 and pop into the milk bar for an ice cream.

Generally local roads are a great place to familiarise yourself with riding on the road.

The only tricky part about using local roads is it can be difficult crossing over busy roads where there are no pedestrian lights. Also, some local roads are used as 'rat runs' by drivers and can sometimes carry more traffic than intended.

Local Councils often produce bike maps of the area identifying bike lanes, shared paths and suitable local streets. See maps for more.

Main roads

These are usually the most direct way to travel between A and B but they carry higher volumes of faster moving traffic. Some arterial roads have bike lanes which makes the ride more comfortable and traffic lights help you to get across intersections.

Once you are confident on the bike you can start using bike lanes on main roads. We have tips for riding in traffic to help you. You will already have an idea of what some of the main roads are like from driving along them and whether they have bike lanes or are hilly.

Observing and speaking to other cyclists is also a good source of information.

VicRoads produce maps on their website of main roads with bike lanes. See maps for more.

The Melway is a useful tool for planning a route. It shows bike paths with a broken red line and Edition 30 has a map of bicycle facilities on map page 592.