Canberra’s winter riders are showing us what is possible
Canberrans are continuing to ride despite freezing mornings and rising living costs. A recent ABC News story shared some of their experiences, from commuting and riding to school to replacing car trips with cargo bikes.
These stories are encouraging, but they also point to something bigger. More people could enjoy the benefits of riding if Canberra made it safer, easier and more convenient for everyone.
Riding is becoming an increasingly important transport choice
For many people, cycling is not a hobby. It is how they reach work, school, shops and other everyday destinations.
With the cost of fuel, parking and running a car placing pressure on household budgets, bikes and e-bikes can offer a much more affordable alternative. One rider featured by the ABC estimated that his cargo bike cost around $1,200 a year to operate, compared with approximately $16,000 for his family’s car.
This does not mean every household can immediately replace a car with a bike. The upfront cost of an e-bike or cargo bike can still be a significant barrier, while many people do not have a route that feels safe enough for their daily journeys.
The ACT Government’s decision to add electric cargo bikes to the Sustainable Household Scheme from September 2026 is a positive step. Making these bikes more financially accessible could help more families reduce their reliance on a second car.
However, financial support must be matched by safe infrastructure. There is little value in helping someone purchase a bike if they do not feel safe riding it to the places they need to go.
Bike buses show what safe, social riding can achieve
The Downer Bike Bus featured in the story gives children the opportunity to ride to Lyneham Primary School together under adult supervision.
Bike buses can help children build confidence, develop independence and begin the school day with physical activity. They can also reduce traffic and parking pressure around school gates while strengthening connections between local families.
Their popularity shows that children want to ride and parents are willing to support them. But organised supervision should not be the only thing making a school journey feel possible.
Safe crossings, lower speeds around schools and connected cycling routes would allow more families to choose active travel, including those who cannot join a scheduled bike bus. Every Canberra child should have a safe way to walk, ride or roll to school.
Bike maintenance skills can remove another barrier
Pedal Power bike maintenance instructor Chris Baylis has seen more people bringing bikes out of storage and learning how to keep them running.
For someone considering a return to riding, an unused bike can represent an affordable transport option. It may only need a service, new tubes or some basic adjustments before it is ready to return to the path.
Pedal Power’s maintenance workshops help people build practical skills, reduce ongoing costs and feel more confident about riding. Growing interest in these courses suggests that cycling is reaching beyond those who might identify as regular or experienced riders.
This is an opportunity to welcome more people into Canberra’s riding community and provide the information, training and support they need to continue.
Winter riding should not require an extraordinary commitment
Canberra’s winter riders deserve recognition, but people should not have to be exceptionally determined to make an everyday journey by bike.
Cold and dark conditions make connected infrastructure, clear sightlines, lighting and regular path maintenance even more important. Gaps in the network that feel uncomfortable in daylight can become significant barriers during early morning or evening trips.
If Canberra wants cycling to be a genuine transport option throughout the year, investment must focus on complete journeys. A long stretch of good path is not enough if it ends at a dangerous crossing, leaves riders competing with traffic or fails to connect with places people actually need to go.
What this could mean for Canberra
The experiences shared in the ABC story show that demand already exists. Canberrans are willing to ride for transport, families are interested in cargo bikes, children enjoy riding to school, and people are bringing old bikes back into use.
With the right investment, Canberra could turn this interest into lasting change. That could mean:
more families managing with one car instead of two
lower transport costs for households
healthier and more independent children
less congestion around schools and workplaces
more accessible transport choices
quieter, healthier and more connected neighbourhoods
reduced transport emissions
Canberra already has many of the ingredients needed to become a genuinely bike-friendly city. What we need now is sustained investment in safe, connected infrastructure and practical support that enables people of all ages and abilities to ride.
The community is showing us what is possible. Our city must ensure that choosing to ride is not only possible for the most confident and committed, but also safe and convenient for everyone.
