We Ride Australia response to COVID-19
2 April 2020 | Announcement
To our Members and friends,
At a time when we are all now significantly impacted by the Corona virus and measures to stop its spread, we would like to convey our best wishes to all our members and supporters. Our thoughts are with you, your families, staff and businesses.
The potential impacts on health, safety, service provision and business continuity are a major focus for us all.
Like many, we continue to work remotely with our program partners and stakeholders to ensure our 20 years of work and national role as the independent voice for cycling is sustained through the crisis and that we are well positioned for when business returns to normal.
The work we do to make the choice to ride a bike in Australia easier, safer and more convenient, whatever your age, has not stopped!
Current priorities
We are already planning for a time when governments will be looking at a re-establishment of “normal” business including working on strategies to take advantage of what we believe will be new opportunities for investment in bicycle riding.
And we’ve been here before.
The experience we gained from our national advocacy and lobbying campaign during the GFC a decade ago is highly applicable now.
In late 2008 and 2009 we played a key role in securing nearly $100 million for bicycle infrastructure. The result was:
- $40m for commuter and recreational bike path facilities,
- $51.5 million on local government cycling infrastructure under the Community Infrastructure Program.
Looking ahead:
- Our RideScore Active Schools program has now finalised development of all the technology, apps and resources and we will resume as soon as school children return to school.
- The national Bicycle Network Analysis program for each capital city CBD, Wollongong and Baringa QLD are close to completion and will be launched within the next quarter.
- Our major events – the Australian Bicycle Summit and Transport Leaders Study Tour – are on hold and we will be considering new dates as soon as possible.
- Our work nationally on building the case for better designed infrastructure and investment is ongoing and is constantly being reviewed as the situation evolves and recovery starts.
We applaud the work of all bicycle organisations promoting the benefits of cycling through the crisis and the BIA (Bicycle Industries Australia) for a national lobbying effort to maintain the status of bike shops as an essential service, allowing a degree of business continuity across the sector.
When Australia gets through these challenging times your membership will continue to ensure we are in a position to lobby for and achieve investment in cycling infrastructure and programs across Australia.
On behalf of our Chair, Neelesh Mehta and the Board of We Ride Australia and our Director – National Advocacy Stephen Hodge, thank you for your ongoing support.
We wish you all a safe and healthy time in coming weeks.
Peter Bourke, Executive Officer