Here's a nice piece of investigative work by pedaller. Starting off with this piece in The Age and picking up on data from the City of Sydney and City of Melbourne pedaller concludes that as a percentage of all commuters there are nearly twice as many cycling commuters in Melbourne than there are in Sydney. And questions
So, what is it that makes commuter cycling in Melbourne more popular than in Sydney?
Could it be that Melbourne has invested in more and better bicycle infrastructure?
OK, I'll have a bash at this.
I think pedaller's right that it's not due to traffic numbers or climate alone, although traffic conditions may have a bit to do with it. It's got to be due to several factors and here are a few random thoughts (in no particular order):
Infrastructure
Melbourne has a network of off-road trails and on-road bike lanes. Putting aside the bike lane debate itself (please!), the existence of bike lanes does seem to encourage road cycling. At least it sends a message: "yes, you are welcome to ride here".
A number of established bike routes radiate out from the Melbourne CBD (e.g. the Williamstown Trail, Moonee Ponds Creek Trail, Merri Creek Trail, the Eastern Freeway Trail, Main Yarra Trail, and the Port Melbourne Trail). This doesn't mean that every commuter gets a good route into the CBD (access from some suburbs sucks) or that it's helpful if your commute doesn't take you into the CBD - but it's good to have that cycling infrastructure. Of course it could be better but it could be a lot worse too.
And if your commute was like this guy's route, wouldn't you go by bike?
A "cycling-is-the-new-golf" culture
Packs of elite and not-so-elite cyclists get out on weekends on the Beach Road training run. It's hugely popular and it's probably fair to say the cycling really is replacing golf as the game of choice for Melbourne's networkers and mover-shakers. This makes it more acceptable for city professionals to turn up on a weekday in lurid lycra - they're just trying to get the competitive edge on their colleagues before next weekend.
I've no idea to what extent a similar culture exists in Sydney.
Geography
There are generally wider roads in the CBD in Melbourne (or at least it feels that way). It's also possible to ride on a relatively safe north-south route through the CBD: Swanston Street is closed to through traffic except for trams, bicycles, and "auhorised vehicles" (such as delivery trucks and bloody tourist coaches).
Also geography doesn't divide the city in Melbourne: there is only the Yarra River (with plenty of bridges) between the CBD and South Melbourne. But in Sydney, the business parts of town (CBD and North Sydney) are separated by the Harbour, which makes it hard to cross over from one to the other on a bike. If you live in Paddington or Randwick (that is, easy commuting distance) and you work on the North Shore, how do you get over there by bike? Can you even take a bike on a peak hour ferry? (I don't know, I've never tried.)
On the question of whether Sydney is more hilly than Melbourne, I'd guess that Sydney is generally more hilly but it really depends where you're riding from and to. Again, check out eek's route - he's got quite a few hills on his 30km commute. And as Phil says (flippantly, I presume):
....well that's why bikes have gears don't they?
In the same spirit and as someone who doesn't have any significant hills on my commute route, I think it's totally appropriate for me to say that hills are just an excuse, not a reason.
A strong "peak body"
Bicycle Victoria is widely recognised as the peak cycling body in Victoria and their campaigns team has some success influencing Governments (both state and local) and Government agencies - those bike trails didn't get there on their own! They also run high profile and popular events like Ride to Work Day, Around the Bay in a Day, and the Great Victorian Bike Ride. BV does good work encouraging people to ride to work and also encouraging employers to provide end-of-trip facilities. (Wow, I sound like I'm spruiking for BV. I don't work for them, honest!)
I don't know the first thing about Bicycle NSW (I've been trying to get onto their web site for months but I can't seem to make it load) so I can't really comment on what they are or aren't doing. But a critical question to ask is: whenever there's a cycling issue in the Sydney media, does someone from Bicycle NSW get quoted? I'm guessing that perhaps the organisation doesn't have the profile that it might.
Trams
And a little pet theory of mine is that having trams on Melbourne roads actually makes those roads better places to ride. Because trams tend to break-up the flow of traffic (note for interstate visitors: when a tram stops to pickup or set down passengers, all other vehicles must stop with it) there is not a constant unrelenting stream of cars on tram routes. And to dabble in a bit of amateur psychology, I suspect that motorists who drive on tram routes expect that it's not all going to be smooth sailing - that they'll be held up and have to wait - so perhaps they are a little more patient and tolerant. Also the traffic lanes on tram routes tend to be a bit wider, which makes things a bit more comfortable for your average commuting cyclist.
Comments
The points about the tram routes are excellent, and I think you could be right about the expectations of drivers on those roads.
I have noticed for some time that Bicycle Victoria is very active, and unfortunately, I think Bicycle NSW has not been seen to be doing enough, but there has been a change in leadership in the past year and hopefully a new perspective that might help, time will tell.
As for the ride into the city from the north, yes it is a bit tricky unless you are prepared to negotiate the stairs on the bike lane on the north side of the Sydney harbour bridge, or as you suggest pay for your bike to ride the ferry or the train. But the ride from the west (where the majority of Sydney's population lives) is quite good within 10km of the city, and similarly the ride from the south,east and north-west is fine.
And yes, Sydney also has quite a complement of wannabe road-warriors on the weekend training rides, large contingents take off from Brighton Le Sands and head south towards the National Park.
@Eliane: Wow, it's been a while since I wrote that one. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I suppose most of the discussion is still relevant.
I think my point about Sydney Harbour is not so much that the Bridge is a problem but that it physically separates the city in a way the Melbourne's bay doesn't. However, as pedaller rightly pointed out, in Sydney the north-south route is nowhere near as busy a commute route as the west-east route, and options that way are better.
If you're interested, a few months after this post I rehearsed a few of the common objections to cycling in Sydney.
I'd say traffic and lack of bike lanes is the biggest issue. As a regular bicycle commuter from the Eastern suburbs to the North (St Leonards), I find that the main problem with the South-East ride is not the bridge. In fact, the bridge is a complete joy to ride over - you get a magnificent view over The Rocks, Millers Point, Garden Island and Blues Point Tower, and of Luna Park. It's special in all kinds of weather, at any time of day. And, it's a dedicated bike-lane - no need to worry about cars or pedestrians.
No, the worst part is riding through the city. There are very few dedicated bike lanes within the city (actually, I haven't found any) and the flattest routes through town to get to the bridge are full of buses. I'm starting to give up, and have taken to riding into town (via Paddington's back streets - green, leafy, lovely wide streets, some hills) and then taking the train.
All that said, I've noticed more and more cyclists on Sydney roads. I think this is corroborated by the evidence of more letters to the editor complaining about cyclists (from car drivers and pedestrians) than ever... Now this is where Bicycle NSW needs to do a better job. They need to be on the case, whenever there is another stupid letter to the editor about cyclists terrorising pedestrians and motor vehicles (!) explaining why there need to be more cycle paths, and how this would benefit everyone.
I'd like to think that the road warriors make bike-riding trendy in Sydney, but I'm afraid they don't. People I know at work do huge rides on the weekend, but wouldn't dream of riding to work. And most people don't think of them as 'trendy' - frankly, what they say about the 'road warriors' is not flattering.
Oddly, I think the cold weather in Melbourne helps. Riding a bike warms you up, and it's nice to arrive at work a bit toasty, rather than dripping with sweat... especially if you don't have showers...