Bicycle Victoria statistics reveal a 36 per cent growth in cycling in June compared with the same time last year, bucking the seasonal trend for a drop in numbers during the colder months.

While in an extensive two-minute search I haven’t been able to locate the relevant stats on the BV web site, I’m quite prepared to accept those figures. A few months ago I mentioned that bikes were growing in popularity in the UK and NZ. And even in the USA, according to ESPN (via Commute by Bike), Bikes are the new SUV:

I’m way ahead of the curve on this one, but bicycles are poised for a quantum leap in popularity. Continuing concerns about global warming, rising obesity, diabetes and traffic snarls will prompt more people to ride bicycles in the coming years.

Which is the biggest reason I love the Tour. Most of America’s most popular sports are enjoyed only from the couch. Not biking. No matter your age or weight, everyone can bike — and should. It’s fun, and a good way to get around — the extra time it takes to bike somewhere is easily made up by the time you save not looking for a parking space or going to the club for a workout.

More importantly, it’s good for you, good for the environment and good for the country. Who is more patriotic, the person who commutes to work on a bike, or the guy who slaps a U.S. flag decal on his SUV that gets 12 miles per gallon?

But surely this would never catch on in Australia? Well, try last week’s Sydney Morning Herald (via Spinopsys and pedaller):

But, the booming interest in the Tour also reflects a rapid increase in participation in cycling in Australia, where many have caught on to its value as a sport. Over the past five years cycling has become a sport that is enjoying record success at all levels and ages…

Australians, it seems, can’t get enough of “the bike” – and those who don’t believe it had best accept the truth.

Indeed. And now we even have celebrity commuters like Shane Wakelin of Collingwood Football Club:

The Magpie defender has been catching the train to games and training sessions for the last six weeks after selling his 1972 Mercedes.

Motivated by wanting to do his bit for the environment, Wakelin rides his bicycle to Hampton station on match days, going largely unnoticed on the trip to the city.

In a way I’m not surprised, but where has this burst in popularity come from—and so quickly? Add up health and fitness, environmental concerns, traffic gridlock, and Tour de France mania and do you get a “Tipping Point”?

[Image "Autumn in Ashland" by basykes on Flickr]

Standing on a cold and windy platform on a Monday morning, few things make a commuter more angry than an announcement that their train has been delayed or cancelled and that “Connex apologises for any inconvenience caused”&helip;

The last thing the Premier would want is for commuter anger to be redirected at his Government.

If this is what Bracksy is really thinking, he’s being poorly advised: the commuting public already blames his Government for the pathetic state of the public transport system. But the ill will is compounded by the fact that public money is being thrown at a foreign-owned company to provide this sub-standard service.

Don’t talk to me about Connex’s being fined tens of millions of dollars because of late or cancelled trains: if they weren’t turning a profit, they wouldn’t be in the game. And they certainly wouldn’t be asking for a 30-month extension of their contract!

If the Bracksy thinks he can keep commuter dissatisfaction at arm’s length by leaving public transport in private hands he’s sadly deluded about the perceptiveness of the average citizen.

Tram-Cam

On a more positive note, The Age reported today about the testing of video and still cameras on trams along route 112. Says Dennis Cliche of Yarra Trams:

“We are hoping to be able to, basically, photograph motorists who are passing stationary trams, and motorists who are blocking tram fairways.”

[For Sydneysiders and others mystified by trams: the Australian Road Rules prohibit other vehicles passing a tram while it is stationary at a tram stop that doesn't have a safety zone. Tram fairways are special purpose lanes with simliar rules to bus lanes.]

It’s a damn fine idea, and one for the “Why didn’t I think of that?” basket. It’s only testing at the moment

But if the trial succeeds, it will open the way for the police and the department to lobby the State Government to introduce legislation for fines.

Can anyone see a reasonable argument to oppose such an initiative?