Don't vote for the religious right

Moore hits back at O'Farrell on cycleways

March 20, 2011

Sydney mayor Clover Moore has hit back at NSW Opposition leader Barry O'Farrell over his promise not to put more "crazy" bike lanes on Sydney's main roads.

"I am sure his statements will be alarming to the thousands of bike riders who support and use our cycleways every day - freeing up space on roads and public transport for others," Ms Moore said.

Her comments come after the Opposition leader claimed she had "deliberately set out to inconvenience motorists" with the city's 200km bike network.

"Whether you want to come into the city by pogo stick, cycle, jog or whatever, we should encourage everyone to leave their cars at home or use public transport - but that's not real life for people," he said.

"You can't ride your bike to the city each day if you live at Penrith. I think we can deliver better bike access to the city without getting in the way of cars."

But Ms Moore said no traffic lanes have been taken out for cycleways or shared paths and that the numbers of bike riders has doubled and tripled in areas where links have been built.

"The cycleways are there to provide another transport option for those who live close to the city centre," she said.

"Once the network has been built it will take 300,000 car trips daily of the road - easing congestion and freeing up valuable road space for those who do need to drive."