Mr BAYLEY (Clark) - Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on adjournment to talk about Ride2Work Day and thank the Bicycle Network Tasmania for the event today and the breakfast this morning.
Today is Ride2Work Day. I thank the Bicycle Network for the advocacy and the work they do towards better uptake of cycling, better cycling infrastructure, increased driver awareness to improve rider safety and, as a result, confidence. Ride2Work Day has been running across the country for 29 years. It celebrates people who currently ride to work and encourages first time cycle commuters to give it a go. It is about getting people on bicycles, giving then a reason to leave their cars at home and hopefully change behaviour in the longer term.
On Ride2Work Day the Bicycle Network holds breakfasts in Hobart and Launceston so people can meet and talk to other people riding to work and shared tips and observations. At this morning's event, beside the plethora of elected representatives there was a stall from the Red Cross selling first aid kits, a mobile bike mechanic, the Tasmanian Bike Collective and, of course, the peddle-powered smoothie machine. This is not the only initiative of the Bicycle Network. It also has been running a 'back on your bike' program for workplaces to help more employees ride to work. This is a great initiative. Accessing potential riders through a whole-of-workplace approach is not only an efficient way of engagement, it helps draw the workplace in and hopefully changes attitudes at the top, with workplaces providing secure storage facilities, end-of-journey amenities, and other infrastructure that supports and encourages employees riding.
As a new member of parliament, with the benefit of a redeveloped back end of the house on 10 Murray Street, I have certainly experienced the benefits of modern end-of-journey facilities for the first time, and I can attest to their convenience and value. I have been a cyclist for a long time, with sporadic breaks that are largely due to workplace location and habits. I used to ride a lot at university in Melbourne, here in nipaluna when I moved back, and even after having kids we fitted child seats to our bikes and my wife and I rode as much as we could.
It is easy to lose the habit. Lately it has got a lot easier: I got an e-bike. Electric bicycles are revolutionary and, as I get older, I am experiencing the benefits. They open up the possibility of cycling as transport for more people. This is because e-bikes flatten hills, slice through headwinds, reduce sweatiness, and mean you can carry heavier loads. For me, getting an e-bike means I can leave the car behind. Even with an ever busier schedule of meetings and community engagements, I try to schedule things in outer areas of my electorate so as to minimise the days I need to drive.
Research shows that people who ride to work regularly come out on top of surveys as the happiest commuters, and have greater on-time punctuality and fewer days off than people who come by other means. I can attest to that. Yesterday, after 12 hours largely sitting in the Chamber, to get on the bike at 10.30 p.m. and blast home was just what I needed.
Even if we wanted to, Hobart's ability to create more roads is limited by geography and low population density, so to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, we need to provide more options to get people out of cars. On this I acknowledge the work of the minister, Mr Ferguson, and his department with the release of the Keeping Hobart Moving Strategy. It holds some good plans for cycling, flags the benefits of separated cycleways, and looks to extend them further from the city centre, giving more people the opportunity to ride. Of course, a glossy brochure does not by itself deliver better infrastructure, and it will require significant sustained investment to develop, maintain and improve bike lanes and other infrastructure. We will be watching that closely and pushing for full implementation.
Investment is key and Ride2Work Day is a good time to reflect on whether we have enough all-ages and abilities routes to get people to our major workplaces by bike. These triple A routes should be comfortable enough for your 8 year old daughter to your 80 year old grandmother to ride on. More than half the population is open to the idea of riding for transport, but they do not want to mix with fast-moving, heavy traffic. They want separated cycleways so that when they are on road they are physically separated from traffic, or only on roads with low numbers of cars and low speeds. Combined with off-road shared paths, we can create networks of triple-A cycle routes that will get us to work, school and services.
In an era of climate crisis, we know we need to reduce our climate emissions. In Tasmania, transport emissions have grown 8.2 per cent since 1990. Of course, every car that is off the road is better for the climate. There is no downside to riding.
Thank you to the Bicycle Network for putting on Ride2Work Day, and for all they do to promote cycling and to facilitate the kind of infrastructure we need in our community to get more people on bikes.
