Advocacy: Why We Do What We Do

Mike Watson | Advocate Coordinator , Pedal Power ACT

Chapter 04: So... how is Canberra tracking?

I’m an advocate, so my job is to make things better for every type of bike rider in the ACT. That means I’m always looking for ways things can improve. This is my personal take.

The evolution of bike rules

I’ve lived in Canberra since 1998, just before on-road bike lanes were installed on 70 km/h Northbourne Avenue, where bikes were often pushed aside by buses pulling into stops in the bike lane. At the time, that was just how it worked. No blame to the drivers—they were simply doing what was considered normal.

But what amazed me was that when a clear, evidence-based letter was sent to the bus company, things changed. Within a week, drivers started waiting for bikes to pass before pulling into the lane, and they’ve kept doing that ever since. Yes, buses are big and imposing, but we get far fewer complaints about them than for other vehicles. Bus drivers in Canberra tend to be bike-aware and considerate. They share the space. All credit to those working drivers who changed their behaviour to match the evolving road rules!

Back then, bikes could ride on footpaths, except near shops. The rules have since improved and, in my opinion, are now better than almost anywhere else in Australia. Bike riders can essentially go wherever pedestrians or cars can go, except where they are specifically restricted. The key is cooperation: when on roads, bikes follow road rules; when on footpaths or multi-user paths, they follow path rules. And by and large, it works very well, why that is will be explored in a future article.

Importantly, Canberra’s rule-makers have been pragmatic and forward-thinking. They haven’t added rules just for the sake of it. Today’s rules reflect what the average bike rider is actually willing and able to do, and that’s a win.

The rules are the easy part—it's the infrastructure that’s harder.

The bigger picture

Canberra was designed as a low-density city, with an early focus on interconnecting footpaths and only a few bike or shared paths. Before COVID, we had a decent, but patchy, network of narrow, bumpy concrete footpaths with very little direction signage. Bike paths were often similar in quality, just differently named.

Newer suburbs, mostly beyond Gungahlin, have better-quality shared-use routes: wider, better maintained, but often still lacking proper wayfinding (direction) signs.

But during COVID, things started changing. Investment went into resurfacing key cycle paths and adding signage, both on poles and on the ground. The impact has been incredible. The improved route along the Molonglo River between Weston and the City (C5/LBG) is now so busy it occasionally gets (almost) congested! Routes like C1 (Gungahlin), C7 (Belconnen), and C3 (to the City) have also seen more use and positive feedback from members after being resurfaced.

Most of these main routes are now in good enough condition to be considered viable transport alternatives, [which you can read about in Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 here]. That’s real progress. And the Government knows that bike routes are much cheaper to maintain than roads. Fewer cars mean less wear on roads, which lowers maintenance costs. So increasing investment in cycling infrastructure is a smart economic choice too.

We’re not there yet but we’re getting closer, especially if Canberra keeps building and maintaining bike routes to modern standards.

Of course there are still plenty of grim, narrow, bumpy and overgrown paths remain;  needing upgrades, maintenance, or wayfinding signage, not to mention secure parking at destinations. But the increased maintenance funding in recent years is steadily addressing the backlog, and helping the network feel safer, more connected, and a far more affordable transport option than driving.

The detailed picture

The big picture so far has been about main routes, from somewhere near your start to somewhere near your destination. But what about the first and last bit of the trip, maybe from your home, to work, shops, or a friend’s place? Most journeys end in suburbia, on what we call 'destination' streets.

These aren't through-roads, they’re ‘to’ roads. They take you to your destination, not through to somewhere else. And because traffic is already slow on these roads, it’s hard to slow it down further. What we can do is make the streets more attractive and less prone to high speed rat-running.

One option is to block off car traffic partway down a ‘to’ street, so cars can still reach homes from one end or the other, but not both. Another idea is to make a ‘to’ street one-way for cars but include a two-way bike lane on the other half of the road.

These sorts of suburban transformations, making local streets more welcoming for people walking or riding, are being done very successfully in Central London [1]. Canberra hasn’t started down that path yet, but we look forward to seeing local networks of ‘through’ bike routes serving all the ‘to’ roads. Done well, these would maintain car access for residents, without turning quiet streets into rat-runs, while giving full access to people on bikes and on foot from both ends.

Rules + infrastructure = transport culture

Inner Paris and London now report that more local trips are made by bike than by car. That’s a tipping point, supported by strong public transport networks.

Canberra is partway there. Like every city, we have our own challenges, but the momentum is building.

Let’s keep it going.

[1] This YouTube provider demonstrates the network of routes through suburbs protected by modal filters, which gives bikes ‘through’ access, and cars ‘to’ access.  Pick any video and see how the ‘to’ streets are both crowded with cars and also quiet.