A survey of cycling trends in the Cairns region suggests that while participation rates have increased, people are getting on their bikes less frequently.
The ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Walking and Cycling Participation Survey was conducted in Cairns during September and October and included 1156 individuals from 473 households.
According to the survey, participation rates in 2020 had significantly increased from 2017 levels and almost 60% of households have a working bicycle.
However, there has been a decrease in how frequently people go riding.
Males were more likely to have cycled than females, while children 0-9 years made up over half of those riding in the week leading up to the survey.
People in Cairns cited “not being interested” and “health reasons” as the top two reasons for not cycling.
Recreation or exercise (80.8% of respondents) was the overwhelming reason why people cycled, and people felt that the paths in Cairns provided a safe environment to ride as it separated bikes from traffic.
For the first time walking participation statistics were provided in the survey results.
It revealed that the majority of people walk or use a mobility aid at least once a week for five minutes or more outside their home.
In Cairns, it is estimated that only 3.8% of the population do not walk in a typical week.
Of those who walk in a typical week in Cairns, 78.1% do so for recreation or exercise.
Council will use the survey results to inform decisions relating to future projects and funding applications, including the Walking Local Government Grant 2022-23.
