The new executive director of Pedal Power ACT - Canberra's cycling lobby group - promises to be anything but shy and retiring in the role.
Softly spoken but articulate and to the point, Simon Copland says he will be speaking up for cyclists in Canberra and won't be taking lip service or pat answers from the government, federal or ACT.
Copland, who grew up in Canberra, has a PhD from the Australian National University on men's rights and the causes of online extremism. He has a background as a writer and advocate. And is a keen recreational cyclist. Copland started working for Pedal Power less than two months ago.
"When I finished [the PhD], I wanted a bit of a change, it's a pretty heavy topic, and I was looking at jobs in the NGO sector and this one came up. As a keen casual cyclist, I was really keen to do this and just really excited to be able to do it," he said.
The 34-year-old grew up in Melba, in Belconnen and went to Mount Rogers Primary, Canberra High and Lake Ginninderra College.
"I have a very clear memory of learning to ride. My parents taking me down to Copland College, which is quite amusing because my last name is Copland. We lived across from there," he said.
"I have a very distinct memory one weekend of my parents being in the empty carpark and me really struggling to get on the bike. And then the next day something really clicked and it worked and we went for a ride to Florey, I think. It was really exciting as a kid.
"And then I was on my bike all the time, riding to friends' places. Also, we lived very close to Ginninderra Creek and all along that path is lovely. I used to do the ride into Belconnen mall or around the lake."
Copland now lives in Harrison and will ride into the city or catch the tram or a "mixture of both". He has two partners, Martyn a teacher and James a public servant. He has been with James for 16 years and Martyn for eight. They all live together and Copland has been an outspoken advocate for polyamorous relationships.
In his new role with Pedal Power, Copland wants to continue to be an equally strong champion for the cycling public.
"The ACT government has developed an active travel plan which ticks all the right boxes and is saying the right things but I and Pedal Power are concerned about whether those things are going to be implemented," he said.
"We've seen a little bit of dragging of the feet on that and so I want to be a bit more vocal and active about that.
"So, one example is that the plan talks about separated cycle lanes on our main arterial roads, which all the research says is really integral to cyclist safety and it's also really good for road congestion. The more people we get on bikes, the less congestion we have. But the government has been quite slow in rolling those things out."
"Northbourne Avenue is a great example of this. We know lots of cyclists go down Northbourne Avenue. It's the most dangerous road in Canberra for cyclists. Even though they've spoken about it, we're not getting any advances on actually building a separated cycle lane to protect cyclists. So, we're really going to be pushing on things like that."
Copland says he also wants to promote the benefits of cycling and "really raising the voice of cyclists".
"We have a pretty strong cycling community in Canberra but I think when it comes to a lot of the projects and developments and things that are happening, those voices are pretty quiet and it means that they get crowded out," he said.
"And then the government doesn't feel the pressure to build cycling infrastructure and make it a priority.
"Every time there's a question of removing a carpark or removing a lane, there's a lot of uproar about it and I want to counteract that. Because I know there are people who want these things but are pretty quite about it so the government doesn't feel that pressure."
Copland also wants to "build the demographics of people who feel comfortable cycling".
"We know the majority of cyclists are men, middle-aged men primarily, it's great that they are out there. But a lot of women feel uncomfortable getting on a bike, migrants and culturally or linguistically diverse people aren't on bikes. Partly because they don't feel safe. Or they don't feel comfortable riding. So we want to shift that so cycling can be family-friendly, that can be friendly for everybody. And that means changing some of our infrastructure but also talking to those communities about the benefits of cycling."
Copland said he understands it's often difficult to contemplate riding to work in a city dominated by cars such as Canberra.
He says bike-friendly infrastructure is an answer. But so too higher-density housing.
"It's really hard if you live in the far south of Tuggeranong or the north of Gungahlin to try to get into the city every day on a bike," he said.
"But the more people we can have living in the inner north and inner south, in our town centres, or living close to public transport hubs, they'll feel comfortable getting in [on a bike]. I'm going to advocate for densifying the city and having it so there's good bike parking facilities so people can hope on their bike and get into town really quick or their local shopping centre or to the restaurant or whatever."
Copland also wants to change "car-focused" Canberra.
"If we look at cities around the world, Paris is a perfect example of this, where in the past 10 years they've really shifted their budget away from car-based transport. They're building huge amounts of separate cycle lanes. This is a city that also gets very hot and very cold and their cycle rates have shot through the roof," he said.
"Whereas in Canberra, we're talking about three to five per cent of people who ride to work every day. In some parts of Europe, you're talking about 30 to 40 per cent in even the coldest of cold weather.
"Part of that is shifting the mentality. When you some people, you start to see more people on bikes. When the infrastructure is there, when there's a government talking about it actively and prioritising it, it does shift the mindset and Australia needs to get with that.
"And that's also about climate change. Sixty per cent of Canberra's emissions come from transport now, so we need to be shifting our transport thinking. But it's also about people's health.
"It's also about - 'What is our city for? Is it for people or is it for cars?'.
"And streets that are great for pedestrians, great for cyclists, the research really shows that's great for business too. It makes cities more liveable, it makes it more friendly. I'd much rather, for example, be walking down Lonsdale Street on a street that prioritises pedestrians and cyclists than one that currently has cars all over the place. It's a much nicer place to live."
