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IELTS Topic: TRANSPORT
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Call to fast-track bike lanes
Original source: The Guardian
In May 2020, Australia’s peak cycling organisation called on governments to capitalise on the surge in lockdown-induced bicycle sales by fast-tracking the construction of all 750km of planned bike lanes around the country, a move it said would promote physically distanced commuting while taking “tens of thousands” of cars off city roads.
Bicycle Network, which has more than 45,000 members, said a move to build “pop-up” bike lanes would help boost construction jobs hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdowns and ultimately reduce unsafe crowding on public transport as workers returned to offices after the pandemic.
Australia’s bike sales surged during the COVID pandemic of 2020.
Source: SunshineVector/Shutterstock
The group reckoned this could be achieved in a matter of days by using barriers, line markings and lane dividers on existing roads.
A key element of the Bicycle Networks vision was a daily $5 cash incentive paid by the federal government to commuters who leave their cars at home and ride to work. The network’s chief executive, Craig Richards, argued that would save public money in the long term when maintenance and health outcomes are taken into consideration.
Melbourne’s Bicycle Network group says bike lanes can be quickly constructed by using barriers, line markings and lane dividers.
Source: Flat vectors/ Shutterstock
“We’ve got this real moment of opportunity; there’s been an explosion in bike use among people who wanted to keep active during lockdowns and, now they are starting to return to offices, people want to ride their bikes there,” Richards said.
“If public transport usage goes back to pre-pandemic levels then commuters might risk social distancing and even a second wave of coronavirus.”
He pointed to a detailed study of cyclists in the American city of Portland, Oregon, which showed that six out of every 10 people are interested in riding a bike to work but are too concerned about interaction with city traffic.
“I think there’s a mix of traditional public transport users as well as car drivers who want to ride bikes to work … more bike lanes could take tens of thousands of cars out of key cities each day,” Richards said.
The network also proposes tax rebates for bike purchases, and grants for bike parking and showering facilities in office hotspots.
… there’s a mix of traditional public transport users as well as car drivers who want to ride bikes to work
“Every time a person commutes by car it costs society $10 when you add up all the costs of roads and their maintenance, fuel, environmental impacts, and the financial implications of congestion. So every time they commute by bike, it saves $10,” Richards said.
“We can therefore afford to return some of that money back to commuters whose habits are making those savings.”
Richards said bike lanes that would normally take months to build could be completed “in days” during the pandemic.
“Now is not the time to get bogged down in red tape. Local and state governments need to come together. It would be a tragedy if we came out of this and all those bikes that have been bought just stayed in sheds,” he said.