The Shire of Murray and City of Mandurah have vowed their commitment to maintaining the safety of cyclists despite recent concerns raised in a survey.
The National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey for 2023 found the number of people who said they regularly rode each week in WA had plummeted from 21.4 per cent (about 561,900 people) to 13.4 per cent, or about 373,300 people.
About two-thirds of WA people either rode or were interested in riding but were concerned for their safety from having to share roads with motorised traffic.
The survey has been held biennially since 2011 and offers a snapshot of riding habits, motivations and barriers.
WA cycling body WestCycle says it is staying in the saddle despite a recent national survey that suggested an increase in the number of cyclists was a blip brought about by COVID.
WestCycle active transport manager Dr Georgia Scott said the latest survey painted a “discouraging picture” for bike riding in WA.
“It seems that the short-lived increase in bike riding during the COVID-19 pandemic was an anomaly that failed to reverse the overall decline in participation since the survey’s inception in 2011, when 21.1 per cent of the WA population rode bikes weekly,” she said.
Dr Scott said the UN recommended governments dedicate 20 per cent of transport budgets to encouraging walking and biking, but they usually received less than 2 per cent.
“Increased funding is essential for initiatives such as reducing speed limits on local roads, constructing dedicated bike paths separated from vehicle traffic, ensuring safe routes for children to bike to school, and providing incentives for riding bikes and e-bikes, and other forms of active transport,” she said.
“Considering that the majority of car trips in Perth — approximately two-thirds — are under 5km, many of these could feasibly be accomplished by bike or on foot.
“That 63.4 per cent of the population expresses interest in bike riding but hesitates due to concerns about traffic highlights the immense potential of creating safe riding and walking spaces for families in Perth and other cities and towns in WA.”
A spokesperson for the Shire of Murray said the council was committed to improving shared paths and cycleways across the community.
Over the next 10 years, the Shire council’s plan has a strong focus on providing safer, well-connected paths that encourage more people to use active transport.
In response to this, the Shire’s 2023/24 budget has allocated $21,278,999 to several shared path projects and upgrades.
“Cycling is a part of life for Murray residents and our visitors,” the spokesperson said.
“The Shire has progressed significant effort in securing Dwellingup’s reputation as having some of the nations most epic trails adventures.
“This was acknowledged this week when it was announced Top Tiny Tourism Town.”
Earlier this year the Shire welcomed the Dwaarlindjirrup suspension bridge, part of the $8.4 million Dwellingup Adventure Trails project in partnership with the WA Government through a grant from the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions supported further development of trails and infrastructure in and around Dwellingup through the $2.705m Dwellingup Gap project.
“Part of being a stand-out location for riding includes having great infrastructure. This includes trails and tracks, but also bike racks and bike maintenance stations where people can fix and clean their bikes.”
Mayor Rhys Williams said the “health and wellbeing” of the Mandurah community was a strong focus for the City.
The City’s 2023-24 budget has allocated $2.08m to cycling projects across Halls Head and Falcon adding to the 580km of paths already on offer.
“Mandurah has a long coastline with an estuary twice the size of Sydney Harbour, making some of the most amazing cycling locations in WA,” Mr Williams said.
“The City has over $16m earmarked over the next decade toward initiatives to further improve walking and cycling infrastructure across Mandurah.
“Council is committed to continuing its focus on paths and trails both in the short and long term to build a connected trail for the enjoyment of all.”