YarraBUG

Faith and Val are back in the studio and sharing their bike moments despite a glitch to the start of the program. Amongst other news, it is 3CRs annual Subscriber Drive and a great time to subscfribe to the station if you don't already so so. You can subscribe at this link, and select Yarra BUG Radio from the dropdown if you would like to support the program. The Great Rixe of Return Naarm is planned again for late March and they need more people to help particulalry on the day. Get in touch if you can help! Faith chats about local updates on her cycling routes in the Netherlands and Dutch pragmatism in implementing infrastructure in challenging spaces. Val takes us back fifty years to 1976 when 3CR was created and a look at our favourite bicycles in Mdelbourne at the time. 

On this weeks program Chris catches up with Jeremy Lawrence Streets Alive Yarra and discuss Yarra Council Report card, the ever moving festival of local democracy alongside rise of grievance politics, proposed Elizabeth Street protected lanes narrowing, a request sent to Gabrielle Williams to protect Strategic Cycling Corridors from degradation, protected bike lane guidelines, announcing creation of new inner suburb parks yet stopping plans for Charlotte Street park in Richmond, Malop Street Green Spine project issues in 2020 and shared space challenges and opportunities facing cities everywhere. Local news, Lime share bike and scooter trial starts in Darebin, Melburn Roobaix takes a pause in 2026, but there's Footscray-Roubaix 2026 on Sunday 1 March 2026. Hey are you a current 3CR subscriber? In February 2026, 3CR is aiming for ONE THOUSAND subscribers, it’s just $40 concession, or $80 full - here's all the ways you can subscribe and support community radio!Program musicKing Stingray, Camp dogTycho, DR Odyss

This weeks program has two interviews, first up Chris talks to Adele Vosper about Stonnington Council partnering with the Transport Accident Commission to conduct a smart bike light trial with See.Sense bike lights and data technology to capture data on bike riding experiences in Stonnington.For additional details, go to Light Insights Trial to apply and complete the application form by 5pm Monday 23 February 2026.Second interview, Karen Hovenga talks about the new North Richmond Bike Bus having a soft launch this Friday 30 Friday January for Term 1.'North Richmond Bike Bus is a group of families who live in North Richmond and have children at Yarra Primary School and Trinity Primary School. We meet on a Friday morning and ride our bikes to school together. We'd love to have you join the fun.'Read more about bike busesComplete this google form to register or volunteer.Funding for the North Richmond Bike Bus has been supported by the Victorian Government.Local news includes a call out for assistance to keep Me

 Nic Dow and Val take a look into how the mayors in cities drive changesin cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Examples being Ann Hidalgo of Parisand Sadiq Khan of London. 

We're having a short summery break, so enjoy this active transport themed playlist for our last program for 2025Program musicJon Brenner, Tour de VeloEels, 3 SpeedCamp Cope, How to socialise & make friendsFlobots, HandlebarsHONNE, B I K EDota, RennradKing Stingray, Camp dogHalf Man Half Biscuit, A Lilac Harry Quinn

Melbourne BUG news and a Book Review: Nik Dow from Melbourne BUG on what is happening at the Melbourne City Council regarding the funding, planning and transparency surrounding the city's bicycle infrastructure.If you love riding bikes but the weather has kept you inside, there is nothing better than reading about them and their makers. Melbourne authors Christine Elliott and David Jablonka have produced something special with Handcrafted Bicycles, Builders, Frame Design, and Insiration. Great photographs, a wide range of designs and a text that is part history and in a way, 32 Bike Moments.  

On this weeks program Chris catches up with Laura Aston Wayfinder Labs to talk about her Street Joy Kit, Regenerative Streets Podcast and recent activities. We discuss new ways to slow down, make local connections, interpret our streets, ongoing challenges with traffic and public space and the opportunity to feel more welcome via offering people a series of tiny seasonal activities and experiments.Follow streetmakerlaura, #streetjoy on insta and Bring Your Street to LifeLocal news and announceables galore include (drumroll) Gipps Street Ramps finally opening, Iris Dixon Veloway opening (also see Footscray Veloway - Opening Week User Experience Survey), Federation Trail Link works completed, Somerville to Baxter Trail apparently opening very soon and take a look at the new Heyington Avenue bridge in Doncaster.And the Victorian Government have followed NSW with banning after market e-bike changes instead of a blanket ban around the PT network, the changes start on 21 December 2025.As I ran out of time, here's t

Val and Faith are joined in the studio by Anthony Aisenberg of CrowdLab. We all share our bike moments before taking a look at some very exciting news; firstly the completion of the Gipps Street ramp after a twenty-plus year advocacy effort, and secondly, the opening of the Dixon Veloway, named after our favourite studio guest, the late Iris Dixon.  Talk turns to CrowdLab's latest project, CrashDash; a platform for providing acess to crash data collected by agencies across Australia. CrashDash pulls together the sometimes impermeable state governement crash statistics and provides filters and tools that give advocates, councils, consultants and others user-friendly access to data about their local areas and projects. Anthony fills us in on the differences between the ways different states collect data in Australia and the need for a uniform national approach. You can also check out Anthony's earlier project BikeSpot. 

On this weeks program Chris talks with Lachlan McKenna about e-bike standards, Saul Griffith observations about using e-bikes in hilly areas, torque vs. power discussions, different potential uses in Australia, lower transport emissions, Australia returning to the EN-15194 standard after they were scrapped by the previous Australia Federal Government in 2021 and we discuss his petition: Increase Tasmanian E-Bike Power Restrictions to USA Standards (750W) TAS is not Europe.Local news includes Critical Mass 30, both Gipps Street Ramps and Westgate Veloway opening real soon, Adopt safe 30km/h streets in Richmond petition and in related news earlier this week, Darebin Council adopted 30km/h as part of the High Street Preston Streetscape Upgrade.Program musicKing Stingray, Camp dogShonen Knife, Cycling is fun

Faith and Val are joined in the studio at 3CR by guest Vince Masci. We all share our bike moments before taking a look at a couple of local news items. Last Friday an ammendment was passed in Parliament that sees $15M of the revenue collected by the parking/congestion levy allocated to walking and cycling projects in participating local council areas for each of the next ten years. This is a small but significant boost to local Council's active transport budgets and we look forward to seeing the results! Also announced last Friday, the federal government is re-instating tthe european standard EN-15194 for imported electric bikes while also working on a framework to regulate the import of electric mobility devices. This will give people clarity on what is and isn't a legal electric bike and also help state governments sensibly regulate the use of electric bikes, particularly on public transport. Talk turns to Vince's project with the VicBug.app, mapping the different sorts of bicycle infrsctructure around Melb

On this weeks program Chris interviews Anna from Big Ride for Palestine. News and events includes looking back to anti F19 protests blocking Alexandra Parade in 1976, reminiscing about damage done by cycling 'advocate' John Forrester including his interference with Geelong Bike Plan in the 1970s, see How One Cycling-Obsessed Weirdo's Pro-Bike Crusade Actually Made Riding Bikes Worse For Everyone Else and Not Just Bikes latest deep dive on the subject: This is Why Cycling is Dangerous in America. Infrastructure Victoria announces new ideas for 12 cycling corridors across the Melbourne area which would be absolutely fabulous, if implemented. (BN: New infrastructure strategy boosts bike corridors).Anna chats about Big Ride for Palestine, the rides history, community building, how people can get involved with walking, running or cycling to raise needed funds to support two of Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA’s long-term partner organisations, ‘MA’AN Development Centre’ in Palestine and ‘Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Or

Faith and Val are joined in the studio by James Laing, an active transport specialist with Stantec and twenty years experience in the UK and with the City of London. We share our bike moments which include a reminder that November is Lung Cancer Awareness month and the Lung Foundation is raising funds towards research that allows the increasing number of people, and in particular young women who are being disgnosed with lung cancer. Modern treatments mean not only that people like Faith's friend survive but also that they are able to enjoy some of their usual activities, like bike rides, to some extent but more research is always needed! You can make a donation here if you'd like to.James Laing fills us in on the background to the Healthy Streets framework, how it was developed and why in the UK and how it has made its way to Australia. We discuss the benefits of the framework in providing more rounded perspectives of the impacts changes on our streets can have for everyone, who is using it in Australia and w

This weeks program includes two powerful post ride speeches from Pierre Vairo, Bike West and Tim Richter, father of Will Richter, made at a Critical Mass memorial ride for Will on Friday 31 October 2025.On 22 September 2025, Will Richter was riding his bike to the University of Melbourne via Macaulay Road, Kensington, when he was struck and killed by the driver of a truck. It was his 19th birthday.October's Critical Mass memorial ride paused for a moment of reflection and bell ringing on Rankins Road, the site of Will’s tragic death then completed his journey to Melbourne Uni."Sanguis Ante Actum" - Blood before action (fb link)From Aly, a family friend 'My thoughts today, 24 October 2025, as posted on my personal page' (fb link)Media release: Family and friends of Will Richter, in conjunction with Critical Mass, to host a memorial ride in honour of WillLetter from Melissa Horne in response to Bike Wests questions. (fb link)Petition: Demand Labor approve safe bike lanes on Macaulay RoadThank you to Liz, Sophie

Val and Faith face a chilly morning in the studio while their planned guest waits in vain for a train on the Chelsea train station platform. We share our bike moments before taking a look at some recent news. In November changes come into effect that mandate reversing technologies for all new vehicles, including trucks, starting November 1, 2025, with a full mandate for all new models by November 1, 2027. Together with new rules from 2023, that allow more camera and mirror systems to be fitted to heavy vehicles, these could mean an improvement in safety for vulnerable road users. But will they, if it isn't mandated for Australia's older truck fleets?We take a look at what happened in the Netherlands when retro fitting of blind spot mirrors to trucks saw deaths of people on bikes after crashes with trucks drop significantly. It is one of a suite of measures that include separating vulnerable road users and education campaigns. Is this something Australia should be considering?  We finish with a reminder that t

On this weeks program Chris talks to Kia Matley from Melburn Durt about upcoming Bike Film Night on 28 October 2025 which is a collaboration with Melburn Durt, Little Projector Company, Fifty Fifty and Bite-Sized Rides.The details: BYO camp chair, some food and non-alcoholic refreshments and join us at 7:45pm on Tuesday 28 October, at Balam Balam Place for a night of outdoor (but undercover!) cinema.We also chat about adventures, film selections, snacks and plans including Melburn Durt's upcoming 10th anniversary, the Radical Adventure Riders bike packing gear library at Off Course Off Course Bike Shop and Kia speaking at Cycling Wild Ikara Expedition Recap – A guide to the Flinders Ranges and beyond at 6:30pm - 9pm, Wednesday 22 October at Inner North Brewing Company.Local news includes a recap of last weeks Ride2Work Day and get ready for next weeks Critical Mass ride on 31 October 2025!Program musicB I K E, H O N N ETour de Velo, Jon Brenner

Faith and Val are joined in the studio today by our guest Robbie Webb. We all share our bike moments before taking a brief look at some news. We discussed the proposed e-bike ban in a previous episode and sadly there is no good news on this front. Bicycle Network are calling on people to contact their local MPs and keep up the campaign to make sure the efforst to keep train travellers safe don't compromise transport accessibility. You can read what you can do here. Robbie tells us about their epic trip around the world, why they set off on a bike to circumnavigate the globe and how they came to establish the record as the "First openly transgender person to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle" (pending).We talk about the politics that loomed and has since made many parts of this trip difficult if not impossible for transgender people,  and the contrast with the experience on the road with the people they met along the way as well as the realities of just keeping pedalling day after day.  

On this weeks program Chris speaks with Karen Hovenga and Ellen Sandall, Greens State MP for Melbourne about  Wellington Street and Macaulay Road active transport infrastructure issues.Local news includes Bicycle Network Member Night - 50 Year Celebration, 6pm, Wednesday, 8 October, next Richmond Repair Corner, Sunday 26 October, National Ride2Work Day, Wednesday 15 October and keep an eye on local Biketober events across Victoria this October.During a glorious Saturday morning in Darling Gardens, Clifton Hill, Chris and Karen chat about Lets make Wellington Street safer: we strongly suggest Option 1 Bicycle Street for both stage 3 and 4 as it reduces traffic and improves local walkability as well as cyclability, and has more trees, similar to the existing Canning Street route in Carlton, one of Melbourne’s best known cycling corridors that’s safe, peaceful, enjoyable and effective.Survey is open to Monday 13 October 2025Read about existing modal filters, the “Bicycle Street” option for Wellington Street is b

Faith and Val are joined in the studio on a stunning spring morning by Alsion McCormack, CEO of Bicycle Network. We spend far too long sharing our bike moments before moving on to the current consultation on the Wellington Street improvements. Open until Monday October 13th the project looks at ways to improve the street and make it safer for vulnerable road users. Make sure you check it out, particulalry if you need to ride soth from Darebin or Merri-bek or the northern parts of Yarra. Discussion turns to Bicycle Network and its 50th year celebrations in 2025. Alison takes us through its inception as the Bicycle Institute of Victoria in 1975 to the presnet day, some of the changes the organisation has made along the way and the direction they are taking in looking to the future and the next fifty years. One of the recent campaigns BN has run has been about the proposed bans on people travelling with e-bikes on trains. Alison reminds us about the E-Bike Expo this coming weekend in Brunswick where vistors will

On this weeks program Chris interviews Sally from Streets Alive Darebin about ongoing issues with risky St George's Road intersections, crossovers and connections.We discuss historial changes, including 2009 change from a roundabout at  Northcote to signalised intersection, working on building a direct connection to Merri Creek Path, Northern Pipe Trail connections to the north, safety issues with crossovers to central median path as it's a major tram route and the premier cycling route in the north of Melbourne with over half a million cycle journeys a year.Streets Alive Darebin are calling on Kat Theophanous: Member for Northcote and Gabrielle Williams: Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for Public and Active Transport and VicRoads to fix the southern intersection at Charles and Merri Parade to improve safety for cyclists, and all road users, connecting to the shared median path heading north.Join Us for Critical Mass St George's Road: meet State Library, 5.30pm Thursday 25 September 2025 (Gran

  Andrew from Neighbourly Ride joins Val on the tandem to chat on the power of the humble bicycle  to bring people togeather, enhance our physical and mental health and bring moments of unexpected joy into our lives. "You have to try very hard not to have fun on a bike."https://neighbourlyride.com/