Sydney share bike schemes increase cycling
The new dockless share bikes in Sydney are likely to lead to an increase in cycling, says University of Sydney cycling and health expert, Professor Chris Rissel.
New data released today reveals 18 per cent of Sydneysiders surveyed thought that dockless bikes were a good system and would use them.
Bike-share schemes are where bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a very short term basis for a price. With dockless systems, as the name suggests, no docking system is needed so bicycles can be picked up and dropped off anywhere and riders use an app to locate and unlock the bikes.
“Making bicycles available all over the city means that one of the fundamental barriers to cycling – not having a bike – is removed,” said Professor Rissel.
"While some people don’t like the haphazard parking of the share bikes, 61 per cent of Sydneysiders do like them.
“Among those people who don’t usually ride bicycles, some said they would use the share bikes and this represents a potential 95,000 new riders."
The survey was conducted by McNair-yellowSquares with 741 Sydney residents aged 18 and over.
Fast facts
- Sixty one per cent of Sydneysiders thought shared bikes were a good thing – 18 per cent would use it themselves, and 43 per cent thought they were good but wouldn’t use it themselves.
- Regular bicycle riders (56 per cent) and occasional riders (30 per cent) would use them.
- A quarter of people (25 per cent) were not sure about the shared bikes.
- Half of the Sydney population (49 per cent) don’t ride bicycles, but 5 per cent of them would use a shared bike, representing 95,000 new riders.
- Awareness of the shared bike schemes was highest in the inner city areas, corresponding with the areas of highest existing cycling levels.