Newsroom

Quarter Two - member report

Without our marquee events keeping us busy and pedalling all over the state, it’s fair to say the final three months of 2020 looked and felt very different for our team and bike riding family. 

However, that's not to say that we weren't busy with some big campaigns and advocacy wins. 

Here’s a quick summary on what we got up to in quarter two and how we’re tracking as we work to make it easier for everyone to ride.

October – December 2020

Supporting our members

  • Our membership continued to grow as we welcomed 2,181 new members into the Bicycle Network family and cried as 1,507 members moved on. We’re now 48,193 members strong.
  • Our riders' rights team helped 59 members get back on two wheels after a crash
  • We launched our first bike insurance product – BikeInsure

2020 was unlike anything we could have predicted and as we rounded out the year, we reflected on just how lucky we are to have such loyal members who are dedicated to having each other’s backs.

Thank you to all who continued to stick by us and we also extend the warmest of welcomes to those who have discovered a love of riding and joined us for the first time.

Spreading the word

  • We appeared in the media more than 145 times, speaking on behalf of Australia’s bike riders on topics such as federal funding for the Tasman Bridge in Hobart, Elizabeth Street bike lanes, the government announcement of minimum passing distance, the roll out of pop-up bike lanes, ride to work incentives and bike shortages for Christmas.
  • We provided our members and friends with 150+ articles and posts to keep them in the loop and help them ride. You can see all our latest posts in the Newsroom (and filter by state) or on Facebook and Twitter . 
  • Our most popular post for the year was our advice on riding during the various stages of COVID-19 restrictions. See the latest advice here. 

Not a member but want to get local bike riding news delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up for our In the Loop newsletter and keep up to date with your bike riding community.  

Most viewed Newsroom articles for Oct-Dec 2020: 

  1. Minimum passing distance laws and pop-up lanes coming to Victoria
  2. Can I still ride my bike outdoors?
  3. Lord Mayor searches for reverse gear
  4. Should I wear a mask while riding?
  5. Safety boost for the boulie

Making it easier for people to ride

  • We worked alongside BUGs to canvass more than 200 candidates to see the election of bike-friendly Councillors across Victoria. See our campaign
  • We celebrated the Victorian Government announcing it intends to finally pass a minimum passing distance law and saw Heidelberg Road receive the first of the government’s 100km of pop up bike lanes. 
  • We also celebrated the announcement of federal funding to fix and widen the Tasman Bridge in Hobart and submitted our Federal Budget submission for the coming financial year.
  • We launched AIRS, our newest AI-based bike surveys with pilots in City of Yarra and baseline surveys for Department of Transport and Darebin.

Delivering amazing event experiences

  • Even without our major events, we still managed to encourage 2,044 people ride with us both at home and in person, whether it was in was in person at a Peaks Challenge training ride, on Zwift or through our #AroundtheBlock, Great Vic and Ride2School online activities.
  • Ongoing border closures didn’t stop people from committing to Peaks Challenge with more than 1,862 riders signed up by the end of December.  
  • As restrictions eased, we encouraged people to get back on their bikes and visiting regional communities through our #RideOnMelbourne campaign.

Keeping our team together

  • We maintained a strong financial position thanks to an extension of the JobKeeper payment
  • Our President was re-elected, a new Board member was elected and three more Board Members were co-opted. See our Board member profiles here
  • As restrictions eased, our team loved having in-person catch ups and getting together in a park for our Christmas party.

If you want to connect or chat with us or to keep up-to-date with our advocacy, events and latest news you can follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram using @bicycle_network.  

Otherwise, drop us a line via the Contact Us section of our website.