Victoria Park is considered the worst place to ride in Perth by WA cyclists.
The inner-city suburb featured twice in a top 5 list of areas considered the most dangerous to ride in released by cycling safety organisation the Amy Gillett Foundation and CrowdSpot.
Albany Highway in Victoria Park topped the list, with Ellam Street coming in fourth.
A lack of bike infrastructure, dangerous intersections and car dooring risk were the most common reasons why people felt unsafe riding their bike.
Cyclists complained Albany Highway was too narrow and did not have enough separation.
Ellam Street was downvoted for not having a priority crossing.
Tydeman Road in North Fremantle, where a bike lane ends, was ranked second. Milligan Street in Perth came third with its lack of a bike lane and Delhi Street in West Perth rounded out the list for being too narrow.
While no cycling accidents on Ellam Street have been reported to the Town of Victoria Park, mayor Karen Vernon said a speed bump was recently installed next to the street’s crossing.
“Due to the fact this street (Ellam Street) lies on the border with the City of South Perth … and close to the new Causeway pedestrian and cyclist bridge, there is scope for future works,” she said.
Ms Vernon said reducing vehicle speeds to 40km/h along parts of Albany Highway had “already seen a significant improvement” to the safety of cyclists.
The Town is currently adding a bike lane to Archer Street and a shared path to Rutland Avenue.
“Road safety for all users is a key objective of the Town’s Integrated Transport Strategy and we are committed to making cycling an increasingly appealing travel option for people moving around the Town,” Ms Vernon said.
“The Town’s network of bike lands includes on-road, off-road dedicated and protected paths.
“People who ride bikes around our Town can help identify places they enjoy riding and highlight areas for improvement.”
Cyclist Karen Lee rides between footpaths, quiet roads and dedicated cycle lane and says she would prefer if residential streets were limited to a speed limit of 30km/h.
“(I will cycle on) local small roads where I feel comfortable that I can cycle with the traffic, although it would be super if those streets were a much lower speed, like 30 km/h would be ideal,” she said.
“But the streets are 50km/h which doesn’t feel great.
“In the more populated part of Albany Highway where all the restaurants are, the traffic speed is pretty low, so if you’re a bold enough cyclist who’s comfortable taking up space you can ride in the middle of the lane.
“But if you’re not that (bold) cyclist, which is lots of people … it’s not for everyone.”
Ms Lee described Perth’s cycle routes as “disconnected” with many streets “dominated by cars” and says there is a need for “safe connected environments”.
“It doesn’t mean putting bike paths on every single street because we would be waiting until the end of the century and in some ways they create a separation that allows cars to go faster so it’s not always the best solution,” she said.
“From my own personal experience … we need a combination, low speed cycle roads which are connected to high quality, separated infrastructure.
“And just reducing traffic volumes overall because we’re talking about danger and safety in terms of cars hitting people.
“(We also need) more money from the State Government that is currently spent on Main Roads should be reallocated to funding bike safety.”
The Fremantle rail principal shared path was considered the most safest place to ride, followed by Mounts Bay Rd in Kings Park, the Roe Street bike lane in Perth, Douglas Avenue in South Perth and the Mitchell Freeway principal shared path in Leederville.
They were praised for being well-maintained and having separated bike paths and priority crossings.
The listings were based on more than 1000 public submissions received since mid-October.
Data will continue being collected until January 2024.
Amy Gillett Foundation CEO Dan Kneipp said safety concerns were holding people back from riding their bike.
“If people feel stressed while riding their bike, even along a single section of a route, this can be the reason why they leave the bike at home and take the car instead,” he said.
“That’s why it’s so important that we know about these areas where people feel unsafe — so we can help governments make targeted upgrades that will result in huge benefits for the community.”
The Amy Gillett Foundation is an Australian cycling safety organisation that aims to reduce the death and injury of cyclists.
It was established in 2005 after Amy Gillett was killed by a driver in 2005 while she was cycling in Germany with the Australian women’s cycling team.
Earlier this month WA’s peak cycling body WestCycle announced it was advocating for a “sustained increase in cycling investment in 2024”.
WestCycle’s 2024-25 Budget Submission called for $80 million which would accelerate the delivery of the WA Bicycle Network, ensure adequate maintenance of existing cycling facilities and encourage local governments to invest in cycling infrastructure.