The launch of the latest national cycling participation figures by the Australian Bicycle Council (ABC) reveals a worrying trend that our kids are now less physically active than ever.
The national survey is conducted by the ABC every two years and measures progress against the target adopted by all state and territory governments to double the number of Australians cycling by 2016.
While the survey shows where investments have been made, there has been success in increasing participation, such as Sydney’s inner city, the latest figures reveal a decrease overall in cyclingparticipation since the last audit in 2011.
CPF spokesman Stephen Hodge said the latest cycling figures are a wake up call and warning about the high incidence of overweight people.
“Our most recent figures for bike imports show that while adult bike sales have hit a new record, children’s bike imports fell by 7% over the last three years.”
“In a recent study with the Heart Foundation we found that only 1-in-10 children ride to school despite nearly two-thirds of parents saying they would let their children ride to school if there weresafe routes.”
“It’s time we made it easier for kids to cycle to school again,” Hodge said.
“The Cycling Promotion Fund looks forward to presenting this information to the Abbott Government in the near future and exploring options to put cycling back into the everyday routine of our kids around the country,” he said
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