About the same time as Mr Holland was being pulled out from beneath the red Mazda, a cyclist collided with a motorist in Mint Street in Carlisle. Vincent mayor John Carey said bike paths weren't just to cater to the lycra set but the ordinary rider who might 'pop down to the shop'. About an hour later, a third cyclist was collected by a car in the west end of Fremantle. Both riders received minor injuries. Mr Carey said local governments had a critical role to play in making roads safer for cyclists by lifting their spending on bike lanes.

And he says his council is doing its bit by planning to spend $2.4 million on 10 kilometres of bike paths. Vincent Mayor John Carey has nominated for Labor's Perth seat. Mr Carey says that equates to more than $70 per ratepayer - one of the highest per capita cycling investments in Australia. "I think local governments have been shirking their responsibilities when it comes to building bike lanes or bike infrastructure," he said. "There needs to be a commitment from councils and councillors to prioritise spending for bike lanes.

"If they don't, then maybe the state government needs to set a benchmark for spending for local governments." Mr Carey – an avid cyclist – said the bike paths should be for all treadly-users. "We are not talking about the lycra set who ride to the hills or Fremantle," he said. "We are talking about the ordinary rider who might pop down to the shop. "But it's not just a case of build it and they will come. You have to educate cyclists and new cyclists."

Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said his council had an "ambitious plan" to make the Port City safer for cyclists, with $1 million set aside for bike lanes in the city. He agreed with Mr Carey that other councils needed to fork out more coin for cycle lanes. "And these of course need to join up across local government areas," he said. "The goal is to make Fremantle the most bicycle-friendly city in Australia and reach the plan's goal of doubling the modal share for cycling between now and 2018 to around 5.8 per cent." Dr Pettitt said for years cycling had been the "neglected tool in the chest of solutions for Perth's transport problems".

"Far greater investment in bike lanes could see Perth become a more sustainable and less congested city," he said. "Liveable and sustainable cities are almost always cycling cities." Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said her council had a responsibility to provide safer transport infrastructure for all road users. "Last financial year we spent $450,000 on new cycle network links, which included shared cycle paths on Wellington Street, Barrack Street and Mount Street," she told Fairfax Media. "We have an annual budget of $500,000 to be spent on implementing cycle network improvements as part of our Cycle Plan 2029 which was introduced in late 2012.

"While spending more money on cycling infrastructure is beneficial, to really improve safety for all road users we need to change our driving and cycling culture, eliminate bad habits, and educate people on how to safely share the road." Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren said it was time MP's supported her bike bill, given the number of cyclists who have been knocked down by motorists. Under the new bill, motorists travelling at 60km/h would be forced to leave a metre between their car and cyclists when overtaking and 1.5 metres if they are travelling on roads with faster speed limits. "It is critical that we act immediately to protect vulnerable road users," Ms MacLaren told Fairfax Media.



"I welcome increased funding for bike paths by the state government, but this infrastructure will take time and money to implement, we need to act now before more cyclists are injured.



"More than 870,000 cyclists rode into the CBD from January to March this year - that is a huge volume of West Australians that deserve increased protection on our roads. "Both Queensland and the ACT have recognised the need for further protection and have implemented metre passing trials, it is time we exercised some responsibility here."