The City Renewal Authority (CRA) celebrated World Car Free Day earlier this week (22 September) by sharing seven tips for swapping cars for bicycles when travelling around the city and the suburbs.
The Authority said the Day was established to provide an opportunity for people to see what their towns and cities could be like with fewer cars on the roads.
“If you have been out walking or cycling around your suburb over the last couple of weeks, you can’t have missed how different Canberra is under lockdown,” the Authority said.
“Families can walk along pretty much any residential street in Canberra without the swoosh and roar of cars going by,” it said.
“If everyone who can swaps out just a couple of car trips a week for a cycle, walk, scoot, tram or bus, we all get to maintain our quiet streets.”
The Authority said the logistics of cycling to work or school could be a barrier for some people and asked Pedal Power to share their tops tips to make leaving the car at home less daunting.
Pedal Power recommended people take a change of clothes with them and ensured they wore a helmet; planned their route ahead of time; checked whether end-of-trip facilities were available at their destination; used dry shampoo to fix helmet hair; locked their bikes securely; carried a spare tire; and ensured their bike had front and rear lights if they were riding at night.
