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2 Sep 2025

The proof is in the pedalling

News article

Bike riding participation is growing in Western Australia.

The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) regularly monitors activity on WA’s bicycle network. This provides us with valuable insights to walking, wheeling and riding habits and informs our decision-making for future network links.

Key findings from the 2023-24 period:

  • We’ve seen an 11.4% growth in bike riding activity compared to 6 years ago.
  • About 1 in 6 people living in the Perth metropolitan area were riding regularly on a weekly basis.
  • 57% of people ride for sport, health or fitness.
  • 21% of people commute to work by bike, increasing from 16% in the previous year.
  • Walking and running have been trending up, with around 83% of people walking for at least five minutes or more – a 10% increase since 2021.

The strongest motivator to ride, walk or run more continues to be more accessible paths, facilities and on‑road safety features.

Expansion of the Principal Shared Path (PSP) network is also proving to boost active travel:

  • Bike trips on the Fremantle railway corridor grew 179% since the shared path was extended from Grant Street to North Fremantle.
  • Walking trips along the Mitchell Freeway PSP sections grew, with a 151% increase between Glendalough and Hutton Street.
  • Community satisfaction towards bike and walking facilities doubled after new PSP sections were constructed, from 40% up to 80%.

DTMI Manager Behaviour Change Helen Ginbey says the findings indicate overall positive shifts.

“It’s encouraging to see gradual increases in active travel across our network,” she said.

“The growth that we’re seeing along major corridors and the number of people riding for the work commute is a positive indication of mode shift, which we’re hopeful will trend upwards in future years.

“Collecting this data helps us in our decision-making and allows us to continuously improve how we support the Western Australian community to walk, wheel and ride more often as part of their everyday journeys and experiences.”

For more insights, visit our evaluation, monitoring and reporting webpage.