Community
8 July, 2021
Family-friendly cycling the goal
EVERY day, thousands of Cairns residents and visitors take to the hundreds of kilometres of pathways and cycleways in our region.
With an absence of hills in our city, cycling proves to be an efficient method of transport and well as healthy family-oriented recreation.
Cairns Regional Council would like to know which off-road pathways are your family favourite.
Council’s Let’s Roll Cairns project aims to promote safe, family-friendly pathways to the wider community.
Submissions must be suitable for young families with children under 10 and be accessible for all.
Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said Let’s Roll Cairns aimed to build confidence and promote safe routes to improve children’s riding skills.
“Whether riding for commuting, fitness or fun, Cairns is mostly flat and lots of roads are bike friendly. There are also plenty of off-road bike paths,” Cr Manning said.
“Families value safe places to teach children to ride a bike or scooter or roller skates in the natural surrounds of their local neighbourhood.
“Perhaps there are family members or friends requiring mobility devices or who need to push prams who miss out on exploring the neighbourhood simply because they are not aware of the location of accessible pathways.
“Unfortunately, in recent years there has been a notable drop in children under 10 riding a bicycle in a typical week, falling from 51.5 per cent in 2017 to 26.9 per cent in 2019.
“Hopefully by promoting these family favourite pathways we can turn that decline around.”
Pathways must be sealed as wheels come in many forms – bikes, scooters, wheelchairs, roller skates, handcycles and prams. The fewer road crossings the better and the length of the route can be 500m or 5km.
Pathways can be registered by submitting the starting point with a brief description of what was discovered on the way. Council will then map, film and explore the route to showcase your favourite paths to everyone.
To submit your favourite family-friendly riding route visit Council’s Have Your Say page on the website or email directly to communityservices@cairns.qld.gov.aubefore 9 August 2021.
This project is proudly supported by the Queensland Government Bike Riding Encouragement Program Community Grants Scheme.
