It's time to get on your bike

I might be showing my age, but when I was a kid, we all biked to school, to sports, to play with friends - almost everywhere, really.We did this through primary school, and then high school, and then at university.It's a sad situation that most of us now drive everywhere, even to the corner store. Tucked away inside our metal boxes, we miss out on the opportunity to chat with the neighbours, feel the wind in our hair and enjoy the rush of a downhill swoop.It's NSW Bike Week, and an opportunity to think about the effects of how we choose to travel. More people are now dusting off their bikes and hitting the road on two wheels instead of four.Since climate change has come on to the public and government radar, transport is seen as one of the best ways of making a difference. In Sydney at least, motor vehicles are the major source of noxious air pollution, and transport is the second-fastest growing source of NSW greenhouse gas emissions.Add to that the increasing health costs of our sedentary lifestyles and the ever-rising price of petrol, and getting around by bike is looking better all the time. There are also the benefits to be gained to our sense of community, and neighbourhood security, by becoming more familiar with our streets and neighbourhood.Biking is a great form of exercise and family fun for the weekend, but it's also a good way of getting to work. More than half of all car trips are less than 5km, so it would be easy to go by bike for most of those trips. In fact, when you calculate the "effective speed" of cars versus bikes, including the time spent driving, parking, refueling, repairing and working to pay for it, bicycles become an even better option. For every hour spent on your bike, there is a gain of more than one hour in healthy life. Healthy Cities Illawarra has been convening the Illawarra Active Transport Taskforce for three years. The taskforce combines the skills and interests of councils, the Roads and Traffic Authority, the Heart Foundation, the Department of Health, Bicycle User Groups and bike businesses, to promote biking.The taskforce has done a survey to find out what discourages people from cycling. Some of the main reasons people don't bike is that there's not enough information about cyclepaths, and not enough well-signposted paths. Another reason is they're worried about safety. The NSW Government is rising to the challenge now with the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) initiating a NSW Bike Plan. This initiative is being developed now, and the DECC is calling for community comment, so send your ideas to them at: Bike-Plan@rta.nsw.gov.au.The Active Transport Taskforce is keen for the NSW Bike Plan to include a promotion aimed at drivers to remind them to respect and look out for cyclists. We also want to see greater integration of bike paths and more information about how to get where you need to go by bike.For Bike Week, the Taskforce has organised the Wollongong Bike Expo, which will be held at the amphitheatre in Wollongong Mall this Saturday, from 10am-2pm. Come along to find out why cycling is so good for you and the environment. Find out what's the latest in bikes - road, mountain, folding, electric, customised and BMX. Jill Merrin is Community Environmental Health Officer, Healthy Cities Illawarra.