Article: Cyclists fear for safety

[colinw]

The Mercury -> click here

DODGY roads and a lack of bicycle lanes are keeping cyclists from travelling to and from work, a new survey reveals.

The survey released yesterday by the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Cycling Promotion Fund found more than 62 per cent of Australians wanted to commute on their bicycles but road safety fears were keeping them off the road.

The organisation looking after cyclists in the state's South said yesterday the results highlighted the need for the State Government to improve riding conditions.

CyclingSouth chief executive Mary McParland said locals would be commuting by bike more often if they felt more comfortable on roads.

But Ms McParland said many cyclists did not feel safe.

"We are trying to develop routes including cycleways and bike lanes to make people feel more comfortable riding their bikes but we need more resources from the State Government."

Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources spokeswoman Suzie Jacobson said determining the amount of money for cycling infrastructure was difficult because it included costs for major infrastructure projects.

Why people are not riding:
Unsafe road conditions 46%
Speed/volume of traffic 42%
Don't feel safe riding 41%
Lack of bike lanes, trails 35%