Page 1519 - Week 05 - Thursday, 11 April 2013
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As with the current bicycle rules, the pedalec rules also allow tricycles. This will continue to assist those riders who are not confident in balancing a two-wheeled bicycle.
The bill supports government efforts to increase cycling participation rates in the ACT by making cycling a more attractive transport option through improved cycling infrastructure and facilities.
Pedal Power ACT have released some pleasing figures, featured in the Canberra Times recently, about the growing number of people cycling into and out of Civic and the ANU. Since 2004, Pedal Power has conducted an annual cordon count in March of people riding to and from the Civic-ANU area. It has observed the number growing by an average of 10 per cent each year. This year, 3,194 riders were counted; almost double the number counted in 2004.
According to the commonwealth’s State of Australian Cities report, Canberra as a whole has the highest rate of active travel of the eastern capital cities—around 22 per cent of the ACT population cycles during the week.
The introduction of legislation to allow pedalecs complements the government’s transport for Canberra policy, which recognises the significant health, economic, environmental and social benefits that increased cycling participation delivers to the community.
One of the aims of the strategy is to encourage walking and cycling. Transport for Canberra has a target of seven per cent of journey to work trips being made by bicycle by 2026. Actions that we have already taken to achieve this target include:
completing shared paths and developing a commuter cycle network with high quality infrastructure;
investigating new types of infrastructure like shared spaces and segregated lanes;
the release of an “active travel to school strategy” for students, teachers and school communities;
prioritising active travel development for accessible bicycle infrastructure;
delivering road safety awareness programs for cyclists and pedestrians to reduce crash rates; and
exploring the establishment of a task force to promote and develop programs supporting physical activity.
Initiatives already underway implemented by the government include:
the strategic cycle network plan;
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