Bicycles are an important mode of transport for both our own personal health, and the sustainability of the Gold Coast’s beautiful environment.
Overview of cycling & bikeways
Gold Coast City Council has purposely incorporated on road and off road bikeways into the city’s town planning guidelines. More than 600 kilometres of bikeways now link neighbourhoods, schools, parks, and interconnect with major transit routes.
Riding a bike not only improves health and fitness, but is also beneficial to the environment and motorists by reducing greenhouse gases, noise and traffic congestion. Best of all, the city’s bikeways – which run through parks, alongside our beautiful foreshores and main transport routes – are designed to cater for all levels of rider capability.
Bikeways are an opportunity for Council to provide safe transport alternatives to the motor car and improve recreational opportunities for the community. It’s all part of Council’s ambition for a sustainable, growing city. By working together with the community and State Government, Council is helping promote cycling as a popular transit option now, and into the future.
Jumping aboard the two-wheeled transport may even let you see different aspects of the Gold Coast you never knew existed. It’s a great way to explore the city.
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Health benefits
To maintain good health, health professionals recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day.
Riding to work, school, uni or college, or taking your bike on short neighbourhood trips is a convenient and practical way to incorporate regular exercise into your busy day.
To calculate how many calories you could burn by riding, use the 
calorie calculator.
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Environmental benefits
Bike riding uses minimal fossil fuels and is a pollution-free mode of transport.
Cycling 10 km each way to work would save about 1500 kg of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Cycling during peak hours would also contribute to further emission reductions by reducing congestion and improving traffic flow.
To calculate how much CO2 you currently use driving and what you could potentially save the earth by riding use the greenhouse gas emissions calculator.
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Economic benefits
The cost of buying and maintaining a bike is around one per cent of the cost of buying and maintaining a car.
Using a bike for shorter trips may allow you to avoid buying a second car, which will save families thousands of dollars each year.
Cycling 10 km each way to work each day will save about A$1700 per year in transport costs (including all running costs and depreciation). Also, bicycle parking is usually free, easily accessible and more convenient than car parking.
Using your bike as your regular exercise activity instead of using the gym also allows you to save money on gym costs.
To see how much you spend on fuel every year use the annual fuel costs calculator.
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Social benefits
Cycling enables people to interact socially and feel more at home in our local community. More people cycling and walking provides additional opportunity for social interaction on the streets and this enhances a sense of community.
The greater number of bikes seen on the bikeways also contributes to non-riders feeling confident that cycling is a safe and enjoyable experience.
More bikes in a neighbourhood provides a safer road environment and children can also take advantage of slower and less dangerous traffic to cycle as well.
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Transport benefits
Bikes do less damage to road surfaces than cars and are often quicker than cars over short distances of up to 5 km, especially during peak driving hours.
The estimated costs of congestion in Australia is about A$5 billion per year. More bikes and less cars on the road can reduce this congestion and its associated costs.
To achieve a 75 per cent increase in cycling trips, each person in Australia to would have to substitute only two car trips per month with cycling.
Bicycles offer door-to-door service because they can be parked closer to destinations than cars.
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