Four years after Wollongong celebrated being awarded the prestigious UCI Bike City label in recognition of its long-term commitment to cycling there are calls for more to be done to encourage people to get out of their cars and on to bikes.

Wollongong is one of only 20 Bike Cities around the world, including Vancouver, Paris, Copenhagen and Glasgow, but at the latest meeting of Wollongong City Council there were calls for more to be done to capitalise on the honour.

In an address to councillors, bike rider and Figtree-based Understorey landscape architect Kathryn Morgan said: "We've seen a surge in (bicycle) use since Wollongong's UCI Bike City label designation, and this is a chance to capitalise on that momentum – especially in the south where gaps in the network persist."

Illawarra cycling rates rising fast

"The great news is that cycling rates are rising fast in the Illawarra. According to Ibug, more than 100,000 people across the region ride regularly – up from 72,000 in 2020," Kathryn said. "That's one in five residents choosing active transport and there would be more if the option was safer."

Kathryn used as an example the experience of cycling between Wollongong city and Port Kembla, and further south to Windang and Shellharbour. She said cyclists she had spoken to were "appalled" by the current state of the cycleway. Her business partner, Katrin Plogstert, who lives in Shellharbour, described her experience cycling north as "horrible".

"We have a piece of existing infrastructure with incredible potential that could be improved with some simple tweaks. I'm talking about dropped kerbs, a few crossings, and a rethink of how natural open spaces are maintained – a shift from mowing grass to caring for Dharawal Country. The cycleway is a wonderful way to see the landscape, and so I want to draw out how it can be enhanced with a bit of creativity and care," Kathryn said.

Cycleway is fractured and unsafe

"The cycleway stretches all the way from the north of the Illawarra down to Port Kembla. But it's fractured in places and doesn't feel safe; especially at intersections like Spring Hill Road onto Five Islands Road and then again at the corner of Flinders Street. Places where I have to get off my bike, wait for a pause in the traffic, then dart across and hope I can get up over the kerb before a truck collects me."

Kathryn said the "trouble spots" are owned by Transport for NSW, but Council owns the cycleway. "So this is a shared responsibility and a shared opportunity to showcase a really beautiful part of Wollongong and involve people in active transport and get them to all the exciting stuff happening in the south.

"The existing Port Kembla cycleway passes through large, open public corridors – wide verges, medium strips, riparian edges – that could become biodiversity corridors, offer shade, create habitat and invite people to stop and enjoy the ride."

Kathryn feels the cycleway is underutilised at present, partly because of safety concerns and also because it isn't welcoming to bike riders.

"With minor investment these could become green ribbons connecting neighbourhoods, not just transit paths, but celebrations of this place. They don't need to be high-maintenance or high-cost. Native grasslands, low shrubby understorey species, and street tree planting can all be done incrementally.

"We can make simple, strategic moves that repair, extend and support the infrastructure already in place, while also enhancing adjacent natural areas with native planting that's climate-resilient and gorgeous."

Investment in the south should be prioritised

And with further growth in housing and key infrastructure in the south of the LGA, Kathryn believes investment in active transport should be prioritised.

"With the new Warrawong Library about to open and plans progressing for a cycle loop around Lake Illawarra, the southern network is about to become even more important," Kathryn said. "If we fail to upgrade key links like the one to Port Kembla, we risk further breakdown of connections in what could and should be a pumping active transport network."

In her address to Council, Kathryn appealed to councillors to address an imbalance between active transport support and investment in the city's north and south.

"There's a really obvious and upsetting disparity in funding and attention, with heaps being spent in the north, and the south left out of the scooter trial. Addressing this geographical imbalance is crucial for equity," Kathryn said.

"From my work, I can attest that infrastructure is not neutral. It shapes behaviour, and it signals care. Every missing kerb ramp or unsafe crossing communicates that some journeys – and some people –matter less than others.

"When you neglect public infrastructure in certain areas, it sends a message about who and what is valued."