Sydney bike trips up 25% as prices soar, cars down 5%
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- City of Sydney council said bike‑sharing trips hit 600,000 in March, a 25 % rise from the prior month, while bike counters recorded their highest numbers since installation.
- New South Wales government data showed car traffic on major arterial roads fell roughly 5 % in March versus a year earlier.
- Transport for NSW reported the newly opened Oxford Street cycleway logged almost 100,000 trips in March and Bourke Street cycleway logged 134,254 trips, nearly three times the previous year’s total.
- 99 Bikes retailer saw ebike sales surge 136 % year‑on‑year in the past week, attributing the jump to the recent spike in fuel prices.
- Omafiets owner noted a wave of customers buying entry‑level ebikes and cargo bikes, explicitly citing high petrol costs as the driver.
- Jacinta Peperkamp said she stopped using her car after fuel prices “went crazy,” relying on a cargo ebike and her son’s electric bike for mixed transport.
- Peter McLean, CEO of Bicycle NSW, warned that short‑term fuel‑tax cuts are a “sugar hit” and urged the government to double down on ebike subsidies and active‑transport investment.
Why it matters: Commuters cut fuel and car‑ownership costs, while Sydney’s roads experience a 5 % traffic drop, easing congestion and emissions. Bike retailers reap record sales, and the government confronts a choice between short‑term fuel‑tax relief and longer‑term investment in cycling infrastructure for the city’s climate goals.
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