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Cycling in Melbourne, Victoria is common for recreation, commuting and sport. The city has an extensive network of off-road bicycle paths, as well as designated bicycle lanes on many streets. There is an active cycling culture enhanced by a relatively flat topography, and a generally mild climate. Cycling in Melbourne was a very popular form of transport at the turn of the 19th century, however mass car-ownership saw a dramatic decline in cycling during the 20th century. The introduction of helmet legislation in the early 1990s also had a significant negative effect on its popularity. In the 21st century, cycling for health, fitness, and as a non-polluting alternative to the automobile has begun to increase in popularity once again, though cycling's transport modal share still accounts for only around 2% of all trips throughout the metropolitan area.〔Australia Cycling Bicycle Ownership, Use and Demographics July 2004 (Draft), Australian Bicycle Council〕 Victorian government policy generally favours bicycle-friendly projects, however in 2008 a new regulation was introduced banning the carriage of bicycles on suburban trains during peak periods. This regulation was rescinded several months later after an outcry from bicycle users.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bin the bike ban! )〕 There has been some recovery in the Central Business District of the City of Melbourne (population appx 70K) where figures put cycling at 8% of all peak-hour (7am-10am) commuter traffic.〔(Melbourne Bicycle Account – Cycling Census 2007 )〕 Planning for improvements to CBD bicycles routes and other major arterial routes is underway. The projects, including a bicycle hire system, similar to Vélib' in Paris, commenced in June 2010. == History == During the 1890s cycle races like the Austral Wheel Race, and later the Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic, were very popular forms of entertainment drawing crowds of many thousands. Cycling was also an exciting new option for transport taken up eagerly by many people. The craze for cycling in the 1890s is portrayed in the poem ''Mulga Bill's Bicycle'' by Australian poet Banjo Paterson, and many other ballads from the time. For women, cycling provided the opportunity of more freedom and being able to wear less restrictive clothing, or rational dress.〔''(Wily Wheelwomen of the 1890s )'', Question Mark Collective, www.takver.com, 30 April 1999. Accessed 28 May 2009.〕 The First Victorian Women’s Road Race occurred in Melbourne on Saturday 16 May 1896 on an 11-mile hilly course through the northern suburbs of Northcote, Heidelberg, Ivanhoe, Alphington and Clifton Hill.〔''(113th Anniversary of First Victorian Women’s Road Race Celebrated )'', Come Cycling with Me Blog. comecyclingwithme.com, 21 May 2009, accessed 28 May 2009〕 Cycling provided an enduring activity for ordinary Melburnians until falling automobile prices and growing consumer affluence saw increasing numbers switch over to the car in the 1940s and 1950s. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cycling in Melbourne」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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