East Meets West: A Sydneysider’s Journey Through Perth’s Pedestrian Paradise
After becoming more attuned to the Better Streets movement in Sydney, visiting another Australian city with fresh eyes made me notice things I may have otherwise overlooked. My trip to Perth gave me a deep appreciation for the city’s cycling and walking infrastructure — not just in comparison to Sydney, but on its own merits.
Perth and Its Infrastructure for Active Transport
Perth, home to around 2.4 million people (compared to Sydney’s 5.6 million), is built around the stunning Swan River. The city sits on the flat Swan Coastal Plain, making it naturally suited to cycling and walking. In contrast, Sydney’s rugged terrain of hills, cliffs, and harbours poses more challenges to people wanting to cycle and walk, especially when there is no safe cycling infrastructure.
Small Observations within the City
While exploring Perth’s CBD on foot and using an e-scooter (Perth is trialling this scheme), a few things stood out to me:
Pedestrian-friendly streets with kerbs removed, creating a shared space that felt welcoming to pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, and even cars.
Diagonal crossings at intersections, which meant I didn’t have to wait through multiple light cycles to cross the road diagonally — a small but efficient feature.
Free “Central Area Transit” buses, which promotes convenient and car-free movement within the CBD (more info), and free travel for students on public transport to and from school
No airport surcharge for trains or buses, which encourages the use of already established public transport lines over taxis and Ubers.
Bridges for People, Not Cars
On a morning run, I crossed two pedestrian/cyclist-only bridges over the Swan River — both within 2 km of each other. The experience made me reflect on how rare that is in Sydney. Despite our iconic harbour, we lack bridges dedicated entirely to people walking or cycling.
At 8am, these bridges were bustling with runners, walkers and cyclists. By night, the spires of both bridge sections light up in a dazzling display, delighting not only walkers and cyclists but also drivers passing nearby. These glowing features evoke the spirit of Sydney’s Vivid festival and add a splash of brilliance to Perth’s cityscape.
Matagarup Bridge, which connects the CBD to the Perth (Optus) Stadium, is also a tourist attraction, with its artsy design and bridge-climbing and zip-lining activities.
Boorloo Bridge, which is a separate bridge alongside the car-intensive Causeway Bridge. There are actually two parts to the bridge as there is a little island in between.
Even the car-centric Windan Bridge, just north of these two bridges, had a separated walkway for pedestrians and cyclists. This thoughtful design keeps foot and bike traffic safely distanced from vehicles, while still offering scenic views of the river along the way.
Rust-Red Cycleways: A Common Sight
Whether driving through Perth’s freeways or heading to the beach, I noticed a consistent feature: dedicated, wide, separated cycleways. Painted in the city’s characteristic rust red (a nod to the region’s iron-rich soil), these paths were well-used by commuters, road cyclists, and recreational riders (I didn't manage to photograph these users!).
I was amazed to see these red shared pathways along most of our drive to Cottlesloe Beach.
One particularly beautiful stretch is along Perth’s foreshore, where separated pedestrian and cycling paths run parallel to the water, offering an uninterrupted and scenic route.
E-Scooters in the CBD
Another surprise was the popularity of e-scooter rentals in the CBD. Their success in Perth seems to come down to a few key factors: the city’s flat terrain, relatively low population density, required designated parking zones, and restrictions that confine usage to the CBD. It’s a tidy little system that works.
A Car-Free Experience on Rottnest Island
Of course, no trip to Perth is complete without visiting Rottnest Island, known for its adorable quokkas. The island is car-free (aside from a shuttle bus), and bike hire is the main way to get around. For many visitors — especially those who don’t cycle often — exploring such an island by bike on quiet roads becomes one of the most memorable parts of the trip, I’m sure.
Quokkas are abundant on the island.
Nothing like exploring natural landscapes by bike!
Tip: You don’t have to hire a bike on the island — you can bring your own on the ferry. But book ahead if you plan to rent — a friend of mine missed out and had to rely on the shuttle bus, which is still good if you have family or lots of things to carry.
Is Perth Really Less Car-Centric?
Despite all the positives, there were some reminders that Perth still leans heavily on cars. The city is, after all, the mining capital of Australia, with a strong economic base in oil and gas. While I didn’t explore the public transport system much, a few things stood out:
No toll roads — which promote driving within the city.
"Petrol Tuesdays" — where petrol prices drop every Tuesday before spiking again mid-week.
Free car parking within the CBD – free 3 hours on the weekend and public holidays, and free from 6pm on weeknights, which further encourage driving into the city - although this is part of the "Bounce Back Perth" Initiative to help businesses in the city.
These little cultural signals underscore how embedded car use still is in everyday life.
Final Thoughts
Perth isn’t perfect, but it does a lot right when it comes to creating space for walking, cycling, and scooting. As a Sydneysider, I found the contrast refreshing — and, honestly, inspiring. It’s proof that Australian cities can be built (or rebuilt) with people in mind, not just cars.
About the author
Kristie is a dedicated environmental advocate who sees active transport as a powerful way for people to take control of how they move through and connect with their cities, while also improving their health and cutting air pollution. Since high school, she has seen active transport as the most logical, liberating and sustainable modes of transport within cities. Kristie works in the sustainability sector on carbon projects and joined Better Streets in early 2025 as a volunteer website project coordinator. She dreams of a future where her friends and family embrace two wheels, exploring Sydney’s streets together safely, breathing fresh air, and feeling a greater sense of community and love for the great outdoors and the city we live in.
