Cycling groups have welcomed the auditor-general's decision to investigate the adequacy of Western Australia's metropolitan cycle path network.

In a letter to stakeholders, the auditor-general's office said it had decided to undertake an audit to determine whether suitable support and infrastructure was in place to encourage cycling.

The audit would look at whether enough was being done to promote cycling as a safe, convenient and viable mode of transport.

It would also look at how comprehensive and well-maintained the cycling network was on the main metropolitan transport routes.

The news comes after the deaths of eight cyclists on WA roads last year and ongoing debate about WA's cycling rules and law.

Clint Shaw, the CEO of WA's peak cycling group WestCycle, said he hoped the audit would help bring WA up to speed with other states.

"We really welcome it, we think it's great," he said.

"We know a lot more needs to be done to encourage more people to ride bikes and create a safer environment for everyone, so yeah we are kind of surprised but really pleased that it's going to be coming about.

"I think in WA here we are running behind the other states and really starting to lag behind.

"There's lots of talk but we need for more action just to create the safe and sustainable bike network that will encourage and get more people out on bikes and make it safer for everyone.

"A safe network is one that's connected and at the moment our current bike network isn't connected and that's a result of a period of neglect.

"Now, it's kind of changed and there's some money being put into cycling infrastructure but for about 10 years from 2000 to 2010 there was very little being invested into the network so we have got a lot of catching up to do....so there's lots of gaps in the network."

The audit would also involve the collection and analysis of data on bicycle use and crashes.

Audit should stop squabbles: cycling group

Heinrich Benz from the Bicycle Transport Alliance said it was the right time for an independent investigation.

"Because what we are having is politicians and cycling groups are using different data and starting to accuse each other of doing the wrong thing and laying blame rather than working together," he said.

"Taking an inquiry like that which is external and impartial will actually remove all that hickhack [squabbling]."

City of Perth councillor Reece Harley also welcomed the audit.

He said he was particularly concerned that there was no continuous, dedicated cycle path between Perth and Fremantle.

The cycle path ends near the Grant Street station in Cottesloe and cyclists were then forced out onto a narrow cycling lane on the edge of Curtin Avenue.

"Once the path ends they get chucked out onto the road," Mr Harley said.

"Once you're out on the road you're competing for space with cars and trucks.

"It becomes very dangerous and the simple solution would be to continue the cycle path all the way to Fremantle so people can commute easily between the two cities.

"I think the people of Western Australia would expect that the cities of Perth and Fremantle would be connected by a bike path.

"I've had a lot of people say to me that if this was fixed they'd cycle, they'd get off the road and cycle instead and the same issue happens in the northern suburbs, that ride into the city on a bike path from the northern suburbs continually puts people on and off the road."

While the State Government had ruled out changing the law to force drivers to leave a minimum one-metre gap when passing a cyclist, Premier Colin Barnett last week said he planned to meet with stakeholders to discuss cycling issues.

He also flagged that some road rules and infrastructure provided for cyclists may need to change, particularly where new roads and developments were built.

The auditor-general's findings will be tabled in State Parliament.