Bicycle Network Victoria: Skill Up

Study finds more Melbourne women ride

17 March 2010. More women are taking to bikes in Melbourne than in Sydney, according to a new study.

About 25 per cent of bike work trips were by women in Melbourne compared to 17 per cent in Sydney. The highest level of women cycling to work was in the city of Yarra where 37 per cent of cyclists commuting were female.

The study, "Cycling Down Under: A comparative Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Sydney and Melbourne", was undertaken by Prof John Pucher, Dr Jan Garrad and Dr Steven Greaves. It was published in the Journal Of Transport Geography.

The authors sought to understand the differences between cycling in Melbourne and Sydney. Their main finding was that bike use was twice as high in Melbourne, and growing three times faster in Melbourne than in Sydney.

Much of the data used in the study was gathered in the 2006 census. The current situation may be different, taking into account changes in recent years.

Among Melbourne's advantages were topography, climate, road network and public policies.

The authors identified the role of Bicycle Network Victoria as one of the important factors behind the strength of bike riding in Melbourne.

"Many of the experts we interviewed felt that Bicycle Network Victoria had been a major force behind the pro-bicycle policies in Melbourne . . . more effective at raising public awareness of cycling and lobbying for improved cycling infrastructure."

Much more in the full report here.