Pedal Power ACT Executive Officer John Armstrong has announced that he will be leaving the cycling advocacy organisation in order to pursue new challenges.
“I have been in the privileged position of being able to represent the interests of the cycling community, not just the members of Pedal Power ACT but also the broader 103,000 people who regularly ride a bike in the ACT,” said Armstrong upon announcing his departure.
Pedal Power ACT has grown to over 7,500 members, from 3,400 when Armstrong took over in 2010. It now has the largest membership per capita for any cycling advocacy organisation in Australia.
Under John Armstrong’s guidance Pedal Power ACT has been instrumental in the ACT’s evolution to one of the best places to ride a bike in Australia. The construction of the Civic Cycle Loop, a minimum passing distance trial and the ACT Government’s Active Travel Office are just a few of the developments introduced with Pedal Power ACT’s input.
Armstrong helped to transform the organisation from a part-time volunteer-led outfit to an influential not-for-profit with a team of six professional staff. But he is quick to note that it is still the volunteers who make up the heart of Pedal Power ACT.
“It is the volunteers who continue to build the organisation, and upon which Pedal Power ACT has been founded,” said Armstrong.
“With the development of a cycle-tourism strategy and a continued focus on active travel, the ACT is well-placed to emerge as the cycling capital of Australia and I believe that Pedal Power ACT’s involvement will be important.”
The Pedal Power ACT board made the announcement about Armstrong’s departure, wishing him well in future endeavours.
“John has been with Pedal Power ACT since 2010, and has overseen immense growth and change both in the organisation and in the ACT’s bike-riding landscape,” said Pedal Power ACT President Jane Brooks.
“He is leaving a strong and stable organisation that will continue to work in the best interests of people who ride bikes in the ACT.”
Do you think the ACT has the potential to lead Australia in the bike-riding space? What else could cycling advocacy bodies like Pedal Power ACT be doing to make Canberra a better place to ride a bike?
Anne Treasure is the Communications Manager for Pedal Power ACT. She writes on bike riding in the ACT from the perspective of a bicycle rider who mainly rides for transport.
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