20th century Cycling has been a popular recreational pastime in the Canberra region since before the city's foundation in 1913. The Queanbeyan Cycling Club was established in 1899 (located just across the present-day border with
New South Wales). Additional cycling clubs were formed in Canberra and
Kingston during the 1920s. By March 1927, the Canberra Cycling Club alone had over 90 members - at that time the population was just 6000. During the 1960s, transport network planning in Canberra was based around private vehicles as the primary mode. A network of dedicated cycle paths was first proposed by the
National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) in the early 1970s. A 1973 NCDC news feature discussed the benefits of building such a network to supplement the pedestrian paths and equestrian trails linking the suburbs, although considered the costs to be quite high given that there were very few cyclists in the city at that time. It was estimated that 25% of high school students rode bikes to school, while fewer than 3% of university students did the same. From a survey of 363 workers in the employment hub of
Phillip in the
Woden Valley district, only 1 indicated they cycled to work. The first cycle path, considered a pilot for an extended commuter network was opened from
Dickson to the city along a route parallel to Sullivan's creek. The path was officially opened by Minister for Urban and Regional Development
Tom Uren, while the occasion was celebrated with a race between local media personalities. there was little public investment to address the needs of local cyclists. In 1974, a mass ride involving more than 50 bikes was organised by Howard Rawson and Bill Crowle. The ride from
Belconnen to the city via
Belconnen Way and Macarthur Avenue received significant media attention, drawing attention to the lack of infrastructure that forced cyclists to ride on main roads. Further protest rides would lead to the formation of
cycling advocacy group Pedal Power ACT in 1975. In its 1975 Annual Report the
National Capital Development Commission published a photograph, apparently approving, of a demonstration of cyclists rallying in the city centre to obtain better cycle facilities. However in a private Commission internal newsletter it published a cartoon mocking cyclists, depicting them as pogo-stick riders. in 1996 Census data in 1981 showed that the number of commuters cycling to work in Canberra had increased from just 0.9% of all trips to 2.1% in the five years since 1976, coinciding with the extension of the NCDC's cycle path network. Yet modelling during this period did not consider commuter cycling when determining future transport policy. Planning continued to favour private cars and the growth in bicycle commuters had stagnated by the mid-1980s. This situation remained largely unchanged until the ACT achieved self-government in 1989, as well as a renewed interest in cycling as a sport during the 1990s. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the district of
Tuggeranong was the first in the ACT to be developed with a cycling network incorporated into the design of new neighbourhoods, now a feature of all new Canberra suburbs. In 1993, the ACT Cycling Federation (now Cycling ACT, merged into
AusCycling) split from the NSW Cycling Federation as a separate entity governing bicycle racing in Canberra.
21st century Significant investment in new cycling infrastructure during the 2000–10s and Canberra's growing reputation as a cycling destination was credited with noticeably increasing non-competitive, social participation in events organised by the Canberra Cycling Club by the mid-2010s. Sydney based
bike share company Airbike expanded into Canberra in 2018, despite concerns that it would lead to bikes being dumped around the city and in
Lake Burley Griffin. In 2020, the ACT became the second jurisdiction after
Western Australia to implement the Crime Stoppers Bikelinc platform, a database that allows owners to register details of their bicycles to assist police in tracking and returning stolen bikes.
ACT Policing reported a 25% increase in bicycle theft across Canberra between 2017 and 2020, yet only a small number of recovered bikes were able to be returned to their owners Also in 2020, City Renewal Authority began installing public bike repair stations in areas with high bicycle traffic in an effort to encourage cycling as a preferred mode of transport. These stations include an
air compressor for inflating tyres, common tools such as allen keys and spanners and
QR codes linking to information on bicycle maintenance and how to use the equipment. == Cycling culture ==