Before the days of MAMILS (Middle-aged Men in Lycra), titanium bike frames and weekend cyclists crowding suburban cafes for brunch after an early morning ride, for everyday citizens the bicycle was either the only transport they could afford, or a way of getting from Point A to Point B.

In Canberra in the early 1970s a cycling boom pushed the need for planning of better infrastructure for bike riders. The first cycle path was built in 1973 and ran from Dickson to the Australian National University.

This however did not satisfy cyclists wanting to commute from their homes to work or school who were forced to use major roads to do so. On 21 October 1974 issues of safety and the unpleasantness of car emissions led to action by over 50 cyclists.