The woman behind the wheel of the shiny black Jeep is ropeable. I am on my bike and also feeling a little indignant. A big flock of cyclists has entered the Jeep's domain as part of a regular Friday protest ride, taking to the road from the usual safety of the soon-to-be-doomed, dedicated bike path.

She yells as our paths cross, as will happen once the Baird government rips up the College Street bike path that I use on the way to work in the city.

The College Street cycleway. Credit:Peter Rae

My trip, from the inner west to Macquarie Street, takes me 40 minutes, keeps me fit and feeling chipper. During peak hour, College Street cycleway becomes congested. I enjoy joining the diversity of riders from lycra-heads to business types, and all kinds in between.

As a middle-aged mother of three, if I rode to work in Copenhagen I would not be marked, as I am in Sydney, as "brave" or "game". In Copenhagen, cycling is just what many folks do, with almost 20 per cent of trips taken on a bike. But in Sydney, trips to work make up a small 0.9 per cent.