I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle.
It’s the tune more Echuca-Moama locals are riding to during the NSW-Victoria border closure.
With commuters facing delays of up to two hours to get past the border checkpoint, locals are trading four wheels for two to reduce travel time.
Ray White Echuca is just one business that has been getting behind the idea in recent days.
What was a display bike has now become the team’s most reliable method of transport.
“We have put one of our cars over in Moama and ride across the bridge because it is saving us a lot of time,” Ray White Echuca principal Stephen Morgan said.
“Some of our staff have not ridden for a long time and they have said it has been weird getting back on the bike.”
And the decision has already proven to be a big winner, helping the Ray White team enjoy much more productive days.
“If any of us do drive, we have to allow between 40 mins and an hour-and-a-half extra for travel time,” Mr Morgan said.
“With all the restrictions, we have to do a lot more to prepare a property for an inspection, including turning on the lights and opening doors.
“All of our staff are also wearing gloves.
“By riding across the bridge, we have more time to fit extra clients in during the day.”
For Moama's Lisa Grove, the commute to work in Echuca has changed significantly.
“Normally I drive, drop my son Alex at school out east and head to work,” she said.
“But from the first day of the border closure it seemed easier to cycle across so we thought we would see how it goes.”
The usual 10- to 15-minute 3.5km drive now takes 20 to 25 minutes to ride — still far less than what some drivers have reported.
“Personally, I'm not sure how long it takes to drive across the bridge because we haven't actually done it yet,” Ms Grove said.
“When the border first closed it wasn't that busy (on the bridge shared path), and on the first day of school it wasn't, but on Tuesday it was busier than I had ever seen it.
“A lot of people were walking across because it was quicker.”
Jodi Ujimoto of Active Transport Echuca East Group said it was the perfect opportunity for locals to get out and active.
“Right now, the benefits of cycling around Echuca-Moama, not just for exercise, but also the time it can cut from the commute, are huge,” she said.
“With the border closure it’s far quicker to cycle across the bridge at certain times of the day and we've heard about a few people who are now cycling to work and school across the border.
“Now it's time for the community to speak up about where they would like to see bike lanes, shared pathways and bike parking around town to make it safer and easier to cycle to work and school.”
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