Every day more than 3000 people who live in Hobart jump on their bike and ride to work, the shops, visit friends or family, or to get in some exercise.
Dr Dominic Lang, who works in the Royal Hobart Hospital's emergency department, is one of those people and says he has been using the new Campbell Street separated cycle lane since it opened a month ago.
He says that while bike riding is a very safe and healthy activity in his job he sees what happens when a car or a bus or a truck crashes into a person on a bike.
"The risk of serious injury or even death in those sort of incidents is substantial, and so the new Campbell Street bike lane, which separates riders from the general traffic is a really big safety initiative."
Dr Lang says the new bike lane feels very safe and is better for bike riders and people driving in cars.
Anna Johnston is also a doctor at the Royal Hobart Hospital. She rides her bike from Lenah Valley to work every day and both her husband and two teenage children are also big bike riders.
"There are so many employees at the hospital that ride to work every day," she says.
"This cycleway is great because it separates you from cars."
The new Campbell Street separated cycle lane is the first to be created within Hobart's city centre, and runs from Brisbane to Davey streets.
Safer cycling
The new Campbell Street bike lane has been designed to create a safer environment for people riding bikes while having minimal impact on people driving cars, trucks and buses.
Three lanes remain open during peak hours, and traffic flow is expected to improve with the removal of parking during peak hours – less cars reverse parking leads to better traffic flow.
As the City of Hobart develops more separated cycleways more people will feel comfortable about commuting to and from the city by bike - every bike on the road is one less car, creating more space for everyone.
Similar separated bicycle lanes on Argyle and Bathurst streets are almost complete, and should be open to the public by early June this year.
The bicycle lanes are part of the City’s commitment to fostering a safe, accessible, and interconnected urban environment and have been equally funded under the Australian Government’s Road Safety Program and the Tasmanian Government’s Vulnerable Road User grants.
Have your say on better transport
The City of Hobart has developed a draft transport strategy to support an integrated, climate ready, efficient transport and land use system for Hobart that will deliver greater choice in how we move into and through the city.
The draft strategy is now open for community feedback via the Your Say Hobart website.
Transport Strategy 2024