Commuters are choosing to cycle into Melbourne’s CBD rather than drive because it’s quicker, healthier and saves money.
Seddon resident and RMIT PHD candidate Mark Eby said he did not purchase a car when he moved from Los Angeles to Melbourne earlier this year.
“I enjoy the fact you can get around Melbourne without a car,” Mr Eby said.
His commute takes around 30 minutes from home to the university if he “peddles hard”. Melbourne’s bike paths make riding an enjoyable and stress-free way to commute, Mr Eby said.
Riding helps ease traffic congestion across the country saving tens of billions of dollars every year.
“In 2012, the Australian government estimated that a person who commutes saves the government an average of $21 a day,” says Cycling Victoria CEO Kipp Kaufmann.
With almost 70 per cent of Australians not physically active enough, “more people riding to work tackles the growing costs related to health,” Bicycle Network’s General Manager of Behaviour Change Chris Carpenter said.
Mr Eby sees an additional benefit: “Cycling is a great form of exercise and means my carbon footprint is much smaller,” he said.
As congestion throughout Melbourne continues to gridlock roads, riding is becoming an increasingly popular form of transportation.
Snapshot of Melbourne traffic at 3:30pm on Tuesday 28th July 2015.
Commuters within seven kilometres of Melbourne’s CBD benefit the most by leaving their car at home, according to Bicycle Network’s annual Ride2Work survey.
Cycling saves Carlton resident and RMIT student Jack Isles more than half of his commute time, reducing his journey from 15 minutes to seven.
VicRoads recommends cycling for “trips less than five kilometres … or combining walking and/or cycling with Public Transport (PT),” to help make the commuter’s journey more efficient.
Mr Kaufmann said an event such as Ride2Work “provides an opportunity to galvanise beyond the usual cyclists to increase overall participation and riding.”
