On the list of things I love in life, cycling is up there somewhere competing with Tim Tams, my boyfriend, hiking and my little niece. (Not necessarily in this particular order.)

For me the bike represents freedom. It will get me where I want to go, when I want to go. I enjoy the more or less fresh air, get a bit of exercise, it saves me heaps of money, I don’t get stuck in traffic, I don’t waste my time looking for a parking spot and as an added bonus it beats most other forms of transport in the environmental department.
Also, the “Freedom Machine” was the transport of choice for the fearsome ladies that started the fight for equality. What’s not to love?

Well, it turns out, not everybody in Perth feels the same fondness towards cycling and cyclists. But I’ll get back to that later.

When RAC asked me to come over they kindly offered me a car to get around. I asked for a bike. Initially they seemed to think I was joking “You do know it gets really hot out here right? And there’s hills!”
But once I arrived they realized that yes, I was really planning to cycle all 4,5 km from my house to the office. So they arranged for a very nice electric bike that would leave me whizzing to work in no time without so much as a drop of sweat. After 2 weeks of travelling by foot (slow) and the bus (slightly less slower but crowded), this felt like heaven.

At home I cycle approximately 5000 kilometers a year, mostly in the city. I cruise from home to work, to the supermarket, to see friends.
With the exception of riding my (100% self powered) bike to the gym, not a centimeter of those 5000 kilometers include wearing lycra. Or a helmet for that matter.
After all, why would I waste time getting changed for an 8 km ride to work if I can use that time for a much needed beauty sleep?
And if you see a grown man or woman wearing a helmet in the Netherlands (1), chances are they're a tourist, an expat, or someone hoping to become the next Marianne Vos. The rest of us (including kids, oldies and everyone in between) just cycle to get from A to B without one.

But not in Perth.
Here, people call me “brave” for using a bike as my main mode of transport around town. (While actually wearing a helmet)
Cycling seems to be the domain of Middle Aged Men In Lycra
They look very much like the type of cyclist that, in the Netherlands, have the reputation to zoom right past other people while screaming “OUTOFMYWAY!” (I have often wondered how it is possible that someone can afford to buy a €1500 racing bike and forget to include a simple bell.)

The few woman that have entered the Perth cycling arena also wear sports wear (although my colleagues are adamant that this does not necessarily mean that there is actually any sweat involved, as this video will show.)
In this environment, cycling on an electric bike in a dress and high heals makes me look hopelessly incompetent. Either that, or I seem to be committing an act of defiance.

But image issues aside: the good news is, of course, that people are cycling in Perth. According to this document cycling participation rates are higher in WA than the Australian average, but the average number of cyclists in Australia is declining.
With predictions stating that by 2031, seven of the nation’s 10 most congested roads will be in Perth this city is looking at alternative modes of transport to ensure Perth will remain a livable city in the future.

While my own club in the Netherlands has just published a report stating we need to give cyclists and pedestrians more space in Dutch cities, RAC has taken up the gauntlet in WA and has commissioned a Business Case for Cycling in Western Australia

While some people claim that cycling is just the latest fad for men suffering from midlife crisis, I have hope that Perth will continue to build better facilities for cyclists. Not just for the few ‘ brave souls’ currently out there, but for anyone who's happy to get around by bike as long as that doesn't mean they have to venture out into the Wild West.

Like one of the leading transportation engineers in the United States Sam Schwartz (a.k.a. “Gridlock Sam,”), says in this amazing book: it is high time to become Street Smart.

1 (If you are wondering why the Dutch don’t (think they need to) wear helmets, read this

And by the way: it seems we are not alone in our thinking