BIKEast

Last day to make submissions on Moore Park cycleway - a much needed connection between Central and Bondi Junction.

BIKEast support retaining this cycleway as well as building Oxford St East cycleway - - The Oxford Street East Cycleway will complement Moore Park Road Cycleway. They will serve different destinations.

Well, good to know (NOT) the painting refresh is on a scheduled cycle, even if the pruning isn't.....

Welcome to our 2026 / 2027 BIKEast Executive!

President - Mark
Vice President - Yvonne
Secretary - Jim
Treasurer - Simon
Public Officer - Warren
Membership - Stephen

Advocacy Coordinators:
City of Sydney / Centennial Parklands - Andrew
Woollahra - Mark
Bayside / Sydney Airport - Sally
Waverley - Mark
Randwick / UNSW - Elliott
Cycling Without Age - Vibeke
Cycling With Children - Kristina

🚲🚲 Making bikes count in the 2026 Census! 🚲🚲
Census day is coming up tomorrow 11 August.

Be sure to mention how cycling is part of your everyday travel. Census data is used by governments to help plan future transport infrastructure.

In 2021 there was a slump in bicycle use due to the lockdown and work from home. Let's see if we can get the 'bicycle' number back up to 2016 pre-COVID levels of >100,000!

👉 https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/australias-journey-work
Together we can help build a stronger evidence base for more investment!

The Quiet Strength of Gentle Advocacy, writes Melissa & Chris Bruntlett, global bicycle advocacy leaders.
I was lucky enough to meet them when they came to Sydney, and they were every bit as warm and generous as they appear to be online.

One of the reasons I initially joined BIKEast 15 years ago, was because BIKEast as a group were full of people who projected, led, and worked hard to build the / a world I wanted to live in.

15 years on, I gravitate towards bicycle advocacy and actions that focuss on the positive, and constructive ways that encourage a better way for our communities to grow.

I thank all the gentle advocates that came before us, and I welcome all the advocates who are joining now and in the future.

Together, we can and will build the world we want to see,
one (green) step at a time.
Yvonne.

The Quiet Strength of Gentle Advocacy

Over the years, we’ve often been asked how we’ve managed to remain optimistic in a field that can be so polarised, frustrating, and slow-moving. The answer is surprisingly simple: we made a conscious decision to practice what we’ve come to call “gentle advocacy.”

Gentle advocacy is the belief that lasting change is more likely to emerge from inspiration than indignation. That people are more willing to embrace a new future when they can clearly see themselves in it. And a belief that showing what is possible is often more effective than endlessly cataloguing what is wrong.

Every minute spent arguing with someone committed to misunderstanding your position is a minute not spent advancing your vision. Every ounce of energy devoted to bad-faith criticism is energy unavailable for people who are genuinely curious, genuinely undecided, or genuinely empowered to make change. You won’t convince everyone, and you don’t need to.
 
So, our advice to the next generation of advocates is simple: spend less time fighting over the future and more time describing it. Paint a picture that people can see themselves inhabiting. Tell stories that connect policy to everyday life. Invite rather than exclude. Encourage rather than condemn. Demonstrate rather than lecture. Show rather than tell.

After fifteen years, we remain convinced that cities become better when we appeal to people’s aspirations rather than their fears. That influence is built through trust. That kindness is not weakness. Optimism, when paired with evidence and persistence, is one of the most transformative forces available to us.
 
In a world increasingly defined by outrage, choosing hope and approaching with empathy can feel radical. But we’ve seen where it leads. We’ve watched minds open, policies shift, streets transform, and communities flourish. That is why we continue to choose gentle advocacy. Not because it’s the easiest path, but because it’s the one that builds a brighter future.

READ the full essay via the link in bio/comments.

2 min advocacy!

Please log on and provide supportive comments for the next 3 projects in Randwick LGA.
1. Completing Kingsford (to Gardeners) to Centennial Park (Doncaster Ave)
2. Todman Avenur
3. Anzac Parade
https://www.yoursay.randwick.nsw.gov.au/

Consultation closes 10 August!
We've been working on these projects for a decade - help get us to the funding (for construction phase)!

AGM Update

Thu 13 Aug
6:30pm
in-person
Mill Hill Centre Bondi Junction

BIKEast AGM
Thu 13 August 2026 (note date change)
https://www.meetup.com/bikeast/events/314455586/

Cooks Cove update (South of airport) - please write a submission - cycling provision MUST be provided to connect this space.

See attached post for talking points. Thank you everyone.

*** Important chance for 5-minute advocacy ***

There are two more days to send some feedback to the NSW Government about the plans to redevelop the Kogarah Golf Club with a huge logistics and data complex.

👉 https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/kogarah-golf-club-redevelopment-concept-stage-1-works

Bicycle NSW wrote a detailed submission on the project in 2023. We highlighted the critical opportunity to provide key regional cycleways as part of the project.

It is essential that the development:

1. Prioritises the delivery of the foreshore active transport link and public open space. This must be included in the first phase of the development.

2. Increases the width of the foreshore public open space with a minimum 40m setback.

3. Provides separate paths for walking and cycling, in line with TfNSW guidelines, to ensure there is capacity for significant future growth in use.

4. Ensures that the foreshore paths connect directly - and safely - with the Alexandra Canal Cycleway and the International Terminal. This is a longstanding NSW Government commitment that has been waiting for the redevelopment of Cooks Cove. The strategic need and context is detailed in the 2023 submission. A new walking and cycling bridge adjacent or attached to the Giovanni Brunetti Bridge must be delivered as part of the project.

5. Requires futureproofed end-of-trip facilities for workers and visitors, secure bike parking and e-bike charging points. The Bayside Council Development Control Plan 2021 (DCP 2021) must be amended as needed.

6. Invests in the naturalisation of the banks of Cooks River, flood proofing and water quality. A substantial developer contribution must be levied specifically for river rehabilitation.

Bicycle NSW’s 2023 submission:

👉https://bicyclensw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/230606-Cook-Cove-Planning-Proposal-submission.pdf