Do you ride a bike?

I have been watching the arguments in Sydney with interest. Clover Moore has long been an advocate of removing cars from city streets and funding cycleways for cheap and efficient city movement. She has recently opened a 3.2km section of purpose-built bike lane on Bourke Street in the city. It's open a few days and some goose named Tim Blair lets fly in the Telegraph because its not full! He even suggested the cost of the bikeway 'could have put nearly 600 citizens into shiny, inexpensive hatchbacks'. As if Sydney needs more cars!

Anyone who navigates Sydney's streets will lament the hours spent behind the wheel. Even short trips must be fully planned to ensure arrival at the destination on time.

A coach once told me 'a break through usually follows a break with'. A city mortally reliant on the motor vehicle must have alternatives before the culture shifts in that direction. Give it time, Tim!

Like most of our generation, I grew up on a push bike. Then it got parked in the garage with family and business priorities. Last year (with a softening waist and jowly jawline), I found a riding partner and got back in the saddle. I'm thoroughly enjoying myself and wonder why it took so long. Companies like Perpetual Trustees in Sydney actually encourage their employees to ride to work and provide bike racks, shower facilities and lockers for that purpose. I look forward to the time when Tim will eat his words.