Walking and cycling

Cycling is a great way to get fit and stay fit.

Around a third of the car trips made in Sydney are less than 3 km and more than half are less than 5 km. Some of these can easily be done on foot or bike. given Walking one kilometre at a comfortable pace takes 15 minutes; its even faster on a bike! Next time you're thinking of making a quick trip, why not leave the car at home?

'Active transport' like walking and cycling not only improves our health, it also clears our air as it doesn't generate any emissions.

Health experts recommend we get 30 minutes of physical activity each day to help to prevent heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, cancer, obesity and depression. By walking and cycling you can incorporate low impact, aerobic exercise into a busy day. An adult weighing 75 kg who does half an hour of medium intensity walking will burn more than 640 kilojoules. That same adult cycling 10 km in half an hour burns more than 1,400 kilojoules.

Get to know your neighbourhood

Exploring your neighbourhood is more fun on foot.
Image courtesy of NSW Health

Walking and cycling also lets you experience your local neighbourhood on a whole new level. Rather than being locked away in a car, you're out and about getting a closer look at local shops and sights and more likely to say hello to your neighbours.

And instead of driving out to a major shopping centre, walking or riding down the street means you're supporting local businesses.

Choosing to walk whenever you can saves money and is great exercise
Image courtesy of Rosie Nicolai

More people are choosing to walk in Sydney

The oldest mode of transport of them all, walking is a great way to improve your fitness. You're completely in charge of setting the pace and can build up over time. You don't need any fancy equipment - just a good pair of walking shoes that offer plenty of heel and arch support.

Choosing to walk whenever you can also saves money. Since walking is great exercise, you might not need to visit the gym so you can even save on gym membership. Plus, you'll be easing traffic congestion and clearing our air of pollution.

Better health with every step

More and more people are choosing to walk in Sydney, especially on weekends. It's now rated the most popular physical activity by people aged 15 years and older.

If the number of adults who walked for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, increased by 10 per cent, it would lead to:

• annual savings of $76 million in direct measurable health care costs, and even more in indirect costs
• 1,038 fewer deaths from heart disease each year
• savings of $31 million in cardiovascular disease costs
• a reduction in the incidence of diabetes
• prevention of 15 per cent of bowel cancer cases.

Think about joining in on the benefits of a daily 30 minute walk.

Cycling is a great way to improve and maintain your fitness.

• A 30 minute bike ride a day can halve your risk of obesity and diabetes (WHO, 2000).
• It's low impact and causes less strain and injuries than some other forms of exercise.
• It uses all major muscle groups, and gets your heart rate up.
• Cycling is relatively safe. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows  the number of cyclist deaths accounted for less than three per cent of total deaths in road crashes in Australia during 2007.

Walking

Walk the kids to school. It's a great way to teach them road safety.

• Replace short car trips with walking. Walk to the local shops, train station or work. If each of the 1.8 million registered car owners in Sydney drove just one kilometre less a day, we could save nearly 80 million litres of fuel and more than 180,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year*.
• When walking to work, you can wear your sports shoes and leave your work shoes at your desk. Walking home after a busy day is also a great way to unwind.
• Walk the kids to school. It's a great way to teach them road safety. Sign up to be part of the Walking School Bus.
• Go walking with friends and family on weekends.
• If you do drive, try parking a little further away from where you're heading and walk the rest.

* Calculation based on 1,887,406 registered passenger vehicles in the Sydney region (ABS).

Cycling

• Replace short car trips with cycling. Ride to the local shops, ferry terminal or train station. Over 500 bicycle lockers are now available to rent across the CityRail and Sydney Ferry network as part of the Secure Bicycle Locker Program.
• You can attach a basket or rack to your bike as well as a child seat and trailer for small children, or a trailer bike that larger children can pedal.
  

  [Click to enlarge]
  No Excuse Zone map.
  Image courtesy of AECOM

• When riding to work, you can carry a change of clothes in a backpack or on your bike rack.
• If you're a bit daunted by the idea of riding to work or maybe just after a different sort of social outing, try the Bike Bus. You ride in groups along a set route and according to set morning and evening times. There's safety in numbers as the 'bus' is more visible on the road than single cyclists. Inexperienced riders can build up confidence by riding with seasoned riders.
• Experienced riders can provide tips and guidance by joining their local cycling group or contacting Bicycle NSW.
• Teach your kids to ride and go riding with them to help teach them road safety. Children under 12 years (and accompanying adults) can ride on footpaths.
• Ride with friends and family on weekends and holidays. Look into train-based or active holidays which allow you to incorporate bicycle travel – a great way to explore.

Visit the Pedestrian Council of Australia website and the NSW Sports & Recreation website to get you going on foot.

Read more about the social, economic and environmental benefits of cycling in Cycling – Moving Australia Forward (PDF, 2.2MB) on the Cycling Promotion Fund website. This site also has plenty of tips for would-be cyclists and employers wanting to encourage cycling among their staff.

If you're keen to give cycling a go, Bicycle Information NSW and  Bicycle NSW have information on everything you need to get started.

Visit this website for bicycle safety tips.

Find your local Bicycle User Group (BUG) online.

On Your Bike improved the coordination and effectiveness of cycling initiatives in NSW. It included funding for specialists at Bicycle NSW to work with businesses and schools to promote cycling among staff and students, respectively. 

Major bicycle events include:

• the Spring Cycle
• MS Sydney to the Gong
• the Great Escapade

The Australian Bicycle Association website has some surprising statistics on the benefits of bicycle transport. For example:

• After food, transport is the largest area of household expenditure in Australia (18.2% and 15.5%, respectively). The cost of buying and maintaining a bike is just 1% that of a car.
• Cycling just 10 kilometres each way to work instead of driving saves about $770 (including all running costs and depreciation) and 1.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.
• An American study has shown a strong link between time spent driving and obesity: every additional 30 minutes spent in a car each day translates into a 3 percent greater chance of being obese. Choosing to bike it over sitting in traffic keeps us fit and trim, saves on health costs and saves you having to get to the gym.

Use the Bikeability Checklist (PDF, 216kb) to see how bike-friendly your neighbourhood is and visit the Bicycleinfo website, a comprehensive source of all NSW Government cycling information.

Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) is an annual, national event when all primary school children are encouraged to walk and commute safely to school. It is a community event seeking to promote road safety, health, public transport and the environment.

It will be held throughout Australia on Friday 18 May 2012
 
WSTSD is an opportunity for parents and carers of Primary School aged children to promote safe pedestrian behaviour.

WSTSD will inform parents and carers that they need to closely supervise their young children, particularly those under10 years of age, in all road environments, holding hands when near or crossing the road.

WSTSD will promote and inform parents, carers, teachers and children of the significant physical, mental and social health benefits which can be achieved through regular walking.

To find out how to get involved visit the WSTSD website.