A few weeks ago the headline shouted “Perth ranked last in Australian cities for cycle and scooter friendliness, new data reveals”. The insurance comparison website “Compare the Meerkat” had put together an “index” ranking a bunch of global cities against each other as to how friendly they are to cyclist and now scooters. Perth came in last of the Aussie capitals, but all the Aussie cities came in the 88-110 region when on the world scale. So Perth may be rank low in Australia, but all Aussie cities are ranked low.
The index was based on a weighting of three factors modal share of cycling (i.e. percentage of population that commutes on bike), recorded number of cycle routes, and number of cycling/scooter searches per 100,000 population.
Most Aussie cities had only 1% of the population commute by bike/scooter with only Melbourne slightly higher at 2% and Canberra higher again with 3%. Overall, though these are less than a blip compared to some of the European cities boasting over 40% cycling commuting.
The recorded number of cycling routes is an interesting metric. Perth was right up there with Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney with over 700 designated cycle routes, while Canberra had just under 300, which is understandable for the size of the city. However, Melbourne, which ranked highest of all the Aussie city’s has only 513 routes.
The final metric is a weird one with the number of cycling/scooter related searches per 100,000 population. Perth ranked low but still had over 1,200 monthly searches compared to 1,800 in Sydney.
Combined together, these metrics gave a score that ranked Perth outside the top 100 cities in the world. Compared to the leader, Utrecht in the Netherlands, which has a 48% cycling population and a reported 3,500 cycling routes, it’s understandable why Perth would rank low. However, the typical media headlines decrying how bad Perth is for cycling are certainly misrepresented.
Furthermore, the three basic metrics pulled together by basically an insurance broker are a far cry from the official “Copenhagenize Index” for urban mobility which also ranks bike friendly cities. This uses 13 indicators – Bicycle Infrastructure, Bicycle Parking, Traffic Calming, Safety, Bicycle Modal Share, Modal Share Growth, Women’s Share of Bicycle Trips, Bike Share System, Cargo Bikes, Political Commitment, Advocacy, Image of the Bicycle, and Urban Planning. In this Index none of the Australian cities made the final ranking due to insufficient data or low cycling modal share. Our 1-3% basically doesn’t rate high enough for inclusion.
So, does Australia have a cycling problem? Yeah, compared to the rest of the world, I would say it does suffer from low advocacy and political awareness. This limits how much growth we can see for cycling as a legitimate commuter activity.
Is Perth a bad place to ride? Well both of these indexes are skewed towards cycling as a form of transport rather than a sporting activity. But even then, I think that there is a pretty good network of paths to take you into the city from most directions. Too bad if you don’t work in the city, however. But for us, the standard river lap, Shelley, Kings Park and others provide a great opportunity for training and with our great weather, why wouldn’t you want to be on the bike.
Based on those three metrics, do you think Perth is not cycling friendly?
From the Committee
As previously mentioned, we will start to communicate out the broad areas that are discussed at the committee meetings that take place every 6 weeks or so. They are hosted at one of the committee members’ house and items are tabled in advance so that good active discussion can take place. If there is something that you think needs to be discussed and implemented by the committee for the club as a whole, please reach out to one of the committee members.
Event Information
2026 and 2027 international trips –
SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of Northern Spain in 2026, Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024. Please complete this EOI if you are interested in heading to Japan at the end of March 2027 (itinerary) or the Pyrenees for the Tour de France in July 2027; itinerary & EOI.
Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists
Tour of the Blackwood 2027 — Registrations for the Rotary Tour of the Blackwood, 3 April 2027 are now open. This is one of the most challenging rides in Western Australia with a choice of road or gravel: 130km road through stunning countryside between beautiful Bridgetown and the magical townsites of Balingup and Nannup features over 2072m of climbing including a Category 4 ascent toward the finish line. There is also a 65km distance road, elevation 841m.
Introduced in 2026 is a 97km gravel adventure ride – standard and ebike gravel bikes welcome. This is an excellent event, with a great community atmosphere and well-marshalled roads – definitely one to consider. If interested you will need to book accommodation as soon as possible as there is limited availability. Registration fees go to support community awareness regarding youth mental health. If interested SPR will coordinate and organise a dinner on the Friday night – please submit EOI here. Adrian Emilsen has offered to coordinate.
Upcoming Racing
- WCMCC Spendid Park Crit (15 Nov)
- ATTA Earlybird 2 (17 Nov)
- PDCC Nambeelup Crit (21 Nov)
- WCMCC Wangara Crit (22 Nov)
- MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (29 Nov)
- PDCC Rockingham Crit (6 Dec)
- WCMCC Bibra Lake Crit (6 Dec)
- WCMCC Kewdale Crit (23 Dec)
- PDCC Nambeelup Crit (19 Dec)
- WCMCC Wangara Crit (20 Dec)
- AusCycling Club Team Time Trial (6 Jan)
- AusCycling Club Criterium (8 Jan)
- AusCycling Gran Fondo National Championship (10 Jan)
- PDCC Nambeelup Crit (30 Jan
- PDCC Rockingham Crit (14 Feb)
- PDCC Nambeelup Crit (27 Feb)
Juniors
This the plan for this week’s junior activities:
Saturday 14 November
We meet at our usual spot in Shelley (https://maps.app.goo.gl/yoN1QNu6tKUakHYE8) at 10.30am with our U11 and U13 riders.
Our U15 and U17 riders are invited to join our club rides from Coode St car park in South Perth at 7am.
Thursday 19 November
We meet at Raffles (https://maps.app.goo.gl/4MipKfpG5VyD5ss36) for a ride to Point Walter and return. The appointment is at 4:30 pm.
Check our whatsapp channel for any last minute communication.
From the Ride Coordinator
At SPR, we encourage all riders to familiarise themselves with the planned route before joining a group ride. Not knowing the next turn can increase the risk of accidents — for you and others in the group.
Saturday 14th November
Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am
Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special
All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am
Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday
Transition: Trans Abernethy 39.96km SPR Saturday
Fast & Main: Abernethy Rd 48.21km SPR Saturday
Coffee – Dome Westralia Plaza, Perth City
(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.
Sunday 15th November
Ride starts on Fraser Ave in Kings Park at 6:00am
Gran Fondo Training – 6 laps of the Kings Park circuit
https://www.facebook.com/share/1UXMYucWAz
Coffee – Kinky Lizard, Perth City
Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am
Social River Loop – approx. 50km
Short & Social Hills: Wlsh MWR 58.88km SPR Sunday
Long Hills: Welsh Fall Forrest Patt Lawn Zigzag 89.7km SPR Sunday
Coffee – Dome, East Vic Park
Monday 16th November
Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am
Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride
Tuesday 17th November
Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am
1/2 Mild, 1/2 Spicy
Stay together till after Freo bridge
SPR Tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross
Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park
Main 4/Transitional/Novice
Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am
Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park
Wednesday 18th November
Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am
No drop recovery ride
SPR Wednesday 35.3km (2023 Edition)
Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross
Thursday 19th November
Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am
Three groups fast paced roll-throughs
SPR Thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)
Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross
Friday 20th November
Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am
SPR Friday Alternate 38.43km (Shelley)
Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington
Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:45am
Gran Fondo Training – 3 laps of the Kings Park circuit