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GROWTH IN PARTICIPATION AND POPULARITY OF
CYCLING
In its report into Participation in Sport and
Physical Activities in 2002, the Australian
Bureau of Statistics reported that:
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Cycling had the sixth highest participation
rate (5.7%) of all sport and physical
activities. There were 829,600 people aged
18 years and over who reported having cycled
in the 12 months prior to interview in 2002.
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The state or territory with the highest
number of people who had been cycling was
New South Wales (236,500).
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More males (524,000, a participation rate of
7.3%) than females (305,600 or 4.2%) had
cycled in the 12-month period.
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Nearly one-third (31.1%) of people who had
participated in this activity were aged
25-34 years, and a further 27.6% were aged
35-44 years. 10.8% of people who reported
they had been cycling in the 12-month period
were aged 18-24years.
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Nearly one-third (32.3%) of people who had
cycled in the 12 months prior to interview
had cycled more than 52 times in this
period. A further 17.8% (147,500 people)
undertook this activity 27 to 52 times.
Over recent years, Australia has seen a
significant growth in bicycle ownership and use.
It has been reported that bike sales in
Australia in 2005 were 1.1 million, a 13 per
cent increase over the number of new cars; that
means that more bikes than cars are being
purchased.
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STATS BY
LOCATION |
Sydney |
Melbourne |
Brisbane |
Perth |
Adelaide |
Hobart |
Canberra |
Bicycle Ownership
(bikes per person) |
0.29 |
0.37 |
0.45 |
0.59 |
0.42 |
0.61 |
0.65 |
Proportion of Population
(cycling on the average day) |
1.0% |
2.1% |
3.0% |
4.0% |
1.7% |
N/A |
3.1% |
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Source: Australian
Bicycle Council, 2004 |
There has been a steady increase in the number
of bicycles imported into Australia each year
over the last five years, with over five million
bicycles sold since 2000. This has seen
Australian bicycle sales significantly outstrip
the sale of motor vehicles.
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STATS BY
YEAR |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
|
Bicycle
Sales¹ |
926,924 |
774,938 |
1,109,736 |
1,003,844 |
1,247,991 |
|
Motor
Vehicle Sales² |
787,100 |
772,681 |
824,309 |
909,811 |
955,229 |
|
Bicycle
Sales Lead |
+17% |
+0.3% |
+34% |
+10% |
+30% |
|
Sources: ¹BicycleIndustries Australia
²Federal Chamber of Automotive
Industries |
There has been a recent upward trend in cycling
by Australians 15 years and over, in most parts
of the nation. In addition to this, in 2003
nearly two-thirds of Australian children aged
between five and 14 participated in cycling.
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STATS BY
STATE |
NSW |
QLD |
SA |
TAS |
VIC |
WA |
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2001 -
Adult Participation |
7.9% |
8.4% |
8.5% |
6.8% |
12.1% |
10.7% |
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2002 -
Adult Participation |
8.3% |
8.5% |
8.9% |
8.2% |
9.6% |
12.1% |
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2003 -
Adult Participation |
7.7% |
9.3% |
9.7% |
9.7% |
10.3% |
11.0% |
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2003 -
Children Participation
|
59.4% |
65.2% |
61.4% |
65.7% |
62.2% |
63.9% |
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Source: Exercise, Recreation and
Sport Survey, ABS |
Australians are becoming increasingly aware of
the convenience, enjoyment and widespread health
and environmental benefits of cycling and as a
result, initiatives to promote and increase this
activity have been incorporated into many
government agency programs.
For example, in Victoria, the Government has
recently announced in its Transport and
Liveability Statement that it will deliver $13
million per year for cycling and walking
facilities. This represents an increase to
VicRoads funding from $4 million per year to
over $10.4 million per year for the next ten
years ($64 million total new funds).
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