Lisa Baillie

On the state election trail this week, Lisa Baillie, LNP candidate for Mount Ommaney joined Wendy, Clive and Chris from Brisbane West BUG for a ride around the electorate.

Lisa hadn’t ridden a bike in 20 years, but once she was comfortable with the loaned e-bike she was setting the pace. She admitted that she had been a bit sceptical about e-bikes previously, assuming the power-assistance meant getting no exercise—more akin to riding a motor-bike. But by the end of the ride Lisa was sold; in fact she said she’ll probably get an e-bike after the election because she loved the feeling of being able to exercise and get around the neighbourhood but appreciated having pedal-assistance to comfortably get up hills and avoid getting too hot and sweaty. Lisa could see how ebikes offer a great substitute for a second family car which is mainly used for local errands, getting kids to school, etc.

Clive shared his experience of being able to stay mobile and independent into his 80s—despite being unable to walk far at all—thanks to his electric recumbent bike. Clive is proof that cycling infrastructure is accessibility infrastructure!

Lisa talked about how the LNP has a focus on healthier lifestyles and that active transport is so obvious for that, so it’s important that state and local government can work together to fill in gaps to make it more accessible.

The group checked out the Centenary Bikeway, and where improvements could be made with the motorway upgrades that are still on the agenda such as the Dandenong Road crossing. They had plenty of time to chat while waiting to get across the Centenary Motorway at the Sumners Rd interchange, where the multi-stage crossings and poor signal phasing keeps people cycling or walking waiting 5 minutes or more in the baking sun.

Lisa was surprised by some of the little shortcuts that Chris showed her; little underpasses, side streets that are safer and quieter than the main parallel street. That demonstrates the importance of improving wayfinding for local bike routes; it’s not surprising that people are put off cycling when they think that means having to ride on the busy roads they experience when driving. Chris also explained that advantages of 30kph local streets, and pointed out that advocating for calmer, more pleasant and friendly neighbourhood streets isn’t the same as insisting that cars must be slowed down everywhere or that people be banned from driving.

Thanks to Lisa for joining us and (re-)discovering the joy of cycling with an e-bike. We hope to see you out and about on the paths and local streets on your new bike soon!