Sarah Bickford joined Bicycle NSW as our Bike Planner as part of a 12 month internship nearly 5 months ago. We have been thrilled with her work, but thought we’d check in on how she’s finding it.
Since joining us, Sarah has written 22 submissions, an average of 1 a week! These have ranged from short stretches of shared path to walking and cycling strategies for rural LGAs and major State-led infrastructure or precinct projects such as Sydney Gateway and Frenchs Forest.
Our bike planner, Sarah
“I’ve really enjoyed the exposure to current active transport thinking and connecting with all the passionate advocates in the BUGs as well as the transport planners working so hard in every council to make changes that will allow people of all ages and abilities to cycle safely. The role has offered a great opportunity to get a broad oversight of the active transport world,” said Sarah.
Her previous career as an architect meant Sarah was already adept at reading plans, orientating herself on maps, understanding topography and scale. She is studying a Master of Planning, which has helped her understand the context and relationships between the strategies and policies at a local, district and regional level.
Sarah has always been a keen transport cyclist, using her bike for commuting, shopping, social life and travel. She is also experienced at multi-modal travel that incorporates ferry and train journeys with bike riding to travel across Sydney, London and the cities she has visited. Sarah’s children ride with her, and the family’s experiences highlight the need for bike parking, speed limits and infrastructure that supports families to replace car journeys with bike riding and that is inclusive of bike trailers and or the need for bike mounted child seats.
Reflecting on her experience, Sarah found a positive side-effect of lockdown was that webinars were developed to explain proposals that were more accessible to a wider proportion of the community, who may previously have struggled to attend meetings in person. Quick surveys, pinpoint maps and ‘Have Your Say’ pages have also made responding to some projects easier, but other projects require reading 300 pages of supporting studies.
Sarah has been impressed by the effort that has gone into laying the groundwork for the State’s developing cycle infrastructure over decades, and the work of advocates who write submissions and engage locally. Ensuring plans are converted from pictures to paving requires your support. We encourage you to check out some of Sarah’s work on our submissions page to help you write or comment in support of bike infrastructure in your area.
