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A push to ease traffic congestion and lower carbon emissions is gaining momentum in Bendigo’s CBD.
Two of the city’s major employers are taking a bike-friendly turn in a bid to keep their staff happy and healthy.
A cohort of enthusiastic riders felt the wind in their hair as they hit the streets yesterday, and our news crew joined the pack to get some action shots.
Reporter Erin Handley joined in on the pedal push and you can read about her experience here.
Bendigo goes green with bikes
Dressed in business attire, sans lycra, their outstretched arms made appropriate hand signals at intersections as they navigated the city.
The mood of the 15 cyclists was buoyant as they showcased their employer’s initiative to make Bendigo a more bike-friendly city. Some regular riders, others novices with each wanting to show riding was fun and safe.
In the past year, City of Greater Bendigo has trialled a program in which staff could access bikes to ride to meetings. More than 250 trips were made with 860 hours booked and about 1000km travelled. Most trips were within 4km of the CBD. The bike pool has successfully grown to 14 units with riding a regular practice.
“It is a more nimble way to travel around the city, and it lessens demand on the city’s car fleet,” city planning officer Robert Kretschmer said.
Share of roads on agenda
TREVOR Budge is on a mission - he wants more bikes on roads and wants motorists and cyclists to feel comfortable in sharing the city’s streets.
Mr Budge is encouraging business owners and workers to consider joining a weekly bike ride through city streets in an effort to get residents out of cars and cycling to work.
It’s part of a wider transport planning strategy in which the city is mapping future growth and needs, the City of Greater Bendigo strategy manager said.
“While we have fabulous bike trails in Bendigo we don’t have a lot of people using our roads to ride to work,” Mr Budge said. “What we want to do is make it the norm to see lots of people riding bikes around the city, rather than the unusual.”
Benefits of riding to work or using bicycles to attend meetings within the city centre included saving green house gases, removing cars from busy roads, saving on vehicle running costs and parking fees and improving general well being, he said.
Bendigo getting back on the bike
A leisurely ride around the city saw council employee Lyn Brown back on a bike for the first time in a long time.
The major events coordinator at City of Greater Bendigo council opted for a jaunty red tricycle for the expedition.
“I would much prefer to be out and about in the fresh air and have a bike option, rather than having to take a car all the time,” Ms Brown said.
She said she approved of her workplace’s bicycle system, and the stable trike helped her feel comfortable on the road and with plenty of space to carry work to meetings.
“It’s nice and easy, you can just pop down and grab it whenever you want to.”
“I think everyone should do it, it’s great, I really enjoyed myself.”