YarraBUG

Our 2025 radiothon show has a bit of everything with Val, Chris, Steve and Nik in the studio, Dr Moss Cass' contribution to community radio, the Great Ride of Return, bicycle moments, the rebirth of Critical Mass since 2022 and how it has changed, including local advocacy mobilisation in response to Yukako Fukuharas tragic death on King Street in May 2022 and that Melbourne City Council on June 2022 meeting. Her name was Yukako: Yukako was a kind, funny and joyful woman from Japan who dreamed of improving her English in Melbourne and was living that dream until her life was tragically cut short in a bicycle accident with a truck on King Street in the CBD on her way to school on May 17th 2022. Nik talks about what happens next with Melbourne City Council on 17 June 2025 and bicycle infrastructure funding and Val reading Mulga Bill riding his new bike into Deadman's Creek. Givenow to Yarra Bicycle Users Group Radio!Celebrate everything you love about community and bike riding by supporting Your Station, Your Voice in 2025 and making a donation by 22 June 2025. There is no donation too small as it the collective effort that counts! ALL donations over $2 are tax deductible Since 2008 Yarra Bicycle Users Group Radio has broadcast on 3CR in naarm Melbourne, shared hundreds of bike moments, spoken to countless guests, interviews, rides, cycling events, alongside raising awareness about campaigns and advocacy you simply won't hear anywhere else in mainstream mediaThis year, we’re celebrating everything 3CR stands for with our theme: Your Station, Your Voice.Help us continue this vital work. Donate to 3CR today and keep Your Voice on air.Also, if you can share the link to the page with your friends and family that would be great. The more people who can help the better!

On this weeks program Chris chats to Hiroyuki Yuzurihara about his world cycling journey that started as a homage to his grandfathers attempt to write a novel seventy years ago, his adventures, reasons for traveling, what he's experienced, how he's found Melbourne, the kindness of strangers, meeting new friends and what’s coming next. You can catch up with Hiro on threads, buy me a coffee and more.Local news includes last Fridays Critical Mass: Big City Lights ride, Save the City of Melbourne’s Bike Lane Budget: make a submission by 5pm, Monday June 2025 and 3CR 2025 Radiothon: Your Station, Your Voice!Donate here to keep Yarra Bicycle Users Group Radio & radical community radio on airProgram musicShonen Knife, Cycling is funAvicii, Wake me up

Faith and Val are joined in the studio by Nik Dow of Bike Melbourne. We share our usual bike moments before turning to the Draft City of Melbourne budget currently out for consultation. Nik explains that Despite Mayor Reece's commitment during the 2024 elections to “maintain investment in bike lanes over the next four years at the same level as the previous term of council”, the draft budget shows a huge cut to funding.The City of Melbourne is proposing to spend more on Christmas decorations than it will on building new protected bike lanes and will fall significantly behind in its aims to build 50km of new physically protected bicycle lanes by 2030 on local roads. City of Melbourne is proposing to spend $1.5M in comparison to the City of Sydney spending $13M in an area twice the CoM. With such a small investment the schedule for buidling the nwtork of 50km of new protected bike lanes by 2030 can never be met. You can make your submission to the Draft Budget here. (The section for the first text box is "Bike Lane Funding") Share your story about riding in Melbourne, or not being able to, and ask that funding be re-instated to the same levels as the previous term of Council. You can also join the Critical Mass Ride planned for this Friday in the City with the theme BIG CITY LIGHTS!

On this weeks program Chris interviews Dr Afshin Jafari, Lead researcher and RMIT Research Fellow about new research (Melbourne cycling infrastructure plan risks getting stuck in low gear if feeder networks not considered) that shows that state and local governments should connect and build more dedicated bike lanes to make the existing Strategic Cycling Corridors a viable transport option.'In this study, we developed a city-scale agent-based simulation model for Greater Melbourne to evaluate changes in travel mode share from cycling infrastructure modifications. We clustered bicycle riders into five demographic groups: Maverick Males, Motivated Adults, Conscientious Commuters, Young Sprinters, and Relaxed Cruisers, estimating mode choice parameters for each group.'RMIT: Understanding the impact of city-wide cycling corridors on cycling mode share among different demographic clusters in Greater Melbourne, AustraliaNews includes City of Melbourne and Yarra Council draft budgets, with reduced funding for active transport, open to feedback, Critical Mass Big City Lights on Friday 30 May 2025 and the retirement of Melbourne cycling legend, Marcus Walker from Walkers Wheels and RRR Bike Bits, with Chained Labs taking over the site on Para Road, Montmorency.Program musicHONNE, B I K ETycho, DX Odyssey

Val and Faith are joined in the studio by Alison McCormack, CEO of Bicycle Network. We all share our bike moments and consider what appears to be a significant cut to the CoM budget for bike lanes. In light of what everyone agrees is needed to make the CoM a liveable city into the future, the cut from $4M to $1.5M doesn't make any sense. Alison McCormack updates us on the new version of the Great Vic Bike Ride, plans for which have just been released. The changes are designed to make the Great Vic more accessible to schools, provide a deeper dive into a region while also giving participants a journey to complete. You can find out more about the Great Vic Bike Ride here.

On this weeks program Chris talks to Laura Aston about Wayfinder Labs about finding new ways to unlock potential so everyone has convenient access to safe and healthy transport, topics include systems thinking, Open Streets initiatives and finding ways to travel that are healthy, convenient and safe.Local news includes the weekend festival of electoralism, the floating signifier of now ex LNP leader, Peter Duttons bus getting wedged on a protected bike lane barrier in Pitt Street, Sydney, ongoing Elizabeth Street protected lanes media coverage with our previous 3CR program quoted in a news.com.au article, the example of College Street Cycleway outlasting both a NSW transport minister and now disgraced shock jock and a Coppin Street Cycling Corridor public meeting at 6.30pm, Monday 5th May, Central Club Hotel, Richmond.3CR’s annual Radiothon fundraiser is coming! We need to raise a whopping $275,000 to keep the station afloat and with YOUR help, we know we can. No donation is too small (or big!), and all donations over $2 are tax deductible. 3CR is ‘Your Station, Your Voice’ and we look forward to YOUR donation during June (or earlier if you can’t wait!)

On todays program Chris catches up with Pierre Vairo from Bike West about last weeks quiet opening of the Footscray Road walking and cycling bridge.Also a recap of Yarra Councils 8 April 2025 meeting, where our petition with 1100+ was tabled, with something going very wrong where Yarra has to call another meeting: Extraordinary Council Meeting called for Elizabeth Street at 7.15pm Tuesday 22 April 2025, read more + actions you can take.Pierre talks about the 200m green bike bridge opening as part of three completed components of the Westgate Tunnel Project, with the 2km+ veloway/green snake and Rainbow Bridge still to open. We discuss the ongoing issues with WTP including a tragic avoidable death, another serious life changing injury (730 Report: Warnings about intersection ignored by authorities prior to crash that left cyclist paralysed, Critical Mass Footscray in February and ongoing ford work with not fit for purpose signage.Program musicKing Stingray, Day off

Faith and Val are joined in the studio by Andrew Talati of Neighbourly Ride and we all share our bike moments. We talk about the shambolic Yarra Council meeting last week and the decision affecting the Elizabeth Street bike lanes. You can read the detail about what happened, the proposed dangerous changes and what you can do here. Andrew reminds us how Neighbourly Ride started, and brings us up to date with it's revival. Neighbourly Ride provides short social rides for newbies, creating community connections through sharing local routes and experience riding in a sociable and welcoming environment. Its the perfect next step for those hoping to start using their bike but not sure how to start. Neighbourly Ride needs volunteers to help provide more local rides in more areas. Get in touch with them if you think you can help!

On this week program, Chris talks to Anna Johnston with a follow up interview about Collins Street protected bike lanes in nipaluna Hobart, the recent public meeting, intense debates over moderate changes to public space, using active transport to move around cities and community mobilisation to create awareness, ongoing dialogue to improve our cities, decrease pollution, congestion and more.Local news includes Yarra Council meeting on 8 April with Elizabeth and Coppin Street on the agenda to be possibly removed or narrowed or simply left alone until state government plans for the area are finalised, read more at Yarra for Safe Streets, Elizabeth Street protected bike lanes: a history and watch the socials. Local news includes No to Nuclear Solidarity Bike Ride to Brighton and Kooyong on 26 April and two surveys where your feedback is welcome: Towards Sustainable Mobility Practice through Community Engagement and Climate Risk Appraisal Shared E-scooters in AustraliaProgram musicKing Stingray, Camp DogBonobo, Flashlight

Val and Faith are joined in the studio by Paul McKay, former General Manager of Bicycle Victoria (now known as Bicycle Network)  We share our bike moments before taking a look at BUGs, or Bicycle User Groups. It's thirty-five years since the first Bicycle User Groups were created in Australia in 1990 . Paul explains why Bicycle Victoria created BUGs, their role as advocates, their changing relationship wth Bicycle Network over the years, and their resilience as grass roots community advocates.