Australia’s biggest tally of bike riders, Bicycle Network’s Super Tuesday commuter bike count, returns next week on Tuesday 5 March to measure the nation’s growth in bike riding.
Volunteers around the country will be stationed on roads, bike lanes and shared paths around the country to count and track the movements of people riding bikes during the morning commute.
Information about people riding is then passed on to participating councils who use the data to identify which bike routes need improvement, and to track the success of previous work and upgrades.
Bicycle Network CEO Craig Richards said that Super Tuesday data is vitally important to show how many people ride bikes and how desperately we need to invest in more places to ride.
“There are so many people who ride a bike in Australia, but there are many more stuck in traffic jams and on overcrowded trains who could get to work on two wheels,” said Mr Richards.
“Data from Bicycle Network’s Super Tuesday count will show us which bike riding routes are at capacity and which ones need to be made better so more people can use and enjoy them.”
Bike riders will be counted at more than 800 locations in 36 councils in Victoria, southern New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia on Super Tuesday.
Counters record the number of riders at locations, their gender and the direction they are travelling in. The busiest location in Australia in 2018 was in Melbourne at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets where 1,958 were counted.
Females comprised 24 per cent of riders in 2018, but some locations recorded more than 40 per cent female riders.
Locals who volunteer to count riders on Super Tuesday will receive $60 donation from Bicycle Network for a charity or local community group of their choice. Last year almost $40,000 was put back into local communities by Super Tuesday.
“Bicycle Network’s programs such as Super Tuesday couldn’t happen without the great help of our members and volunteers and we welcome anyone who is willing to help get more people riding bikes,” said Mr Richards.
Registrations for Super Tuesday volunteers are now open at supertuesday.com.au, with a full list and map of count sites available. The count will be held from 7:00am to 9:00am on Tuesday 5 March.
The count is conducted in the Northern Territory, Queensland and northern New South Wales in September as part of Super Tuesday North.
/Public Release.
