As well as encouraging your members to cycle more, your religious community may also be interested in helping to support cycling more broadly in your local community.

Some ways you could do this include:

Engage with your local Bicycle Users Group

One of the main things that stop more people cycling is a lack of infrastructure such as bicycle paths. Members of your religious community can support bicycle advocacy in your local area by joining a local bicycle users group (BUG).

BUGs meet regularly to discuss local cycling issues and lobby council for improvements. They offer advice to councils on identifying important bicycle routes and projects and generally provide a voice for cyclists in the area.

>> Cycling advocacy information can also be obtained from the Cycling Promotion Fund.

Get involved in bicycle repair

Community bicycle repair workshops exist in various parts of Australia. Members work to recycle bikes, which can then be distributed at a low cost or for free to people in the community. The groups can also provide training in bicycle repair.

>> One example is Born Again Cycles - an initiative of South Port UnitingCare in Melbourne.