Your name here Your Address here The Hon. Patrick (Carl) Scully, B.A., LL.B.(Hons) Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads Level 34, Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place, Sydney 2000 Dear Mr Scully, RE: Cycling in Sydney I write to ask for your support of cycling in Sydney as a viable transport alternative. While I appreciate the achievements already made in this area, there is still a lot to do. The cycling facilities in our city have been very poor for a long time, and it's time for a change. The benefits of cycling are well known: * pollution-free (noise and air). As an asthmatic, I know personally the cost of pollution * requires a fraction of the road and parking space needed for cars * low cost, making it an equitable mode of transport * improves health and fitness * can be combined with public transport, thus vastly expanding the system's reach * can be enjoyed by people of different ages and fitness levels * can replace many car trips, reducing traffic congestion (one of the biggest causes of pollution) There are many things we should be doing: * Increase funding for cycling, especially funding to local councils. * Provide more secure lockers at train stations. * Provide on and off-road cycleways to help people to ride to work and school. * Encourage employers to provide facilities such as showers, lockers, and safe bicycle parking. * Integrate cycling with public transport modes. * Integrate cycling into the urban planning process. * Work hard on making cycling safer in our streets. Deal with abuse or threatening behaviour from car drivers or any other road user. Cycling can play an important role in solving some of our biggest problems: traffic congestion, lack of parking space, ever growing road budgets, air and noise pollution, and health risks from a sedentary lifestyle. Let's take advantage of it. I would appreciate your prompt response to these issues. Sincerely,