The Marrickville Bike Bus (a
group who bike to work together, to a set route and timetable like a bus), is
as great a way to get to work as it sounds.
And, even if you’re an avowed
critic of early starts, it’s actually a relief to slowly wake up as the morning
does, chatting to friends while getting in a bit of exercise, as opposed to
wedging yourself into a peak-hour train carriage listening to your neighbour’s
ipod!
The Marrickville Bike Bus was
started by cycling advocate Fiona Campbell as a way for people to feel
comfortable and safe riding their bikes to work. Those who ride in the Bike Bus
– many of them inexperienced cyclists when they started – can vouch for its
success. With a caveat (of sorts!): it’s actually quite a lot of fun!
Each morning, the Bike Bus
travels from Marrickville into the city, picking up people at designated
“stops”. It starts near the Henson Park Hotel in Illawarra Road just before 7am and
collects fellow riders as it heads through Newtown (stopping at the Newtown
Neighbourhood Centre at 7.09am) and Redfern (George/Wells Street). The Bike Bus then
rides from Redfern past Central Station and breaks up after reaching the
fountain at Hyde Park – where it meets again
at 5.15pm for the trip home.
The benefits of cycling are heard often enough – it’s good
for the environment and it helps you get fit as you pedal along – but the best
things about the daily bus are the friends you meet along the way and the
confidence you develop in riding along Sydney
streets. Come along – you might like it! For more information, go to www.bikebus.org.au.
Source:
South Sydney Herald June 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au