People for Ecologically Sustainable Transport

History

A brief overview of Alans contribution to cycling and sustainable transport

Alan Parker obituary: Sprocket Man fought for cyclists’ rights on the road. Doreen Parker, 12 May 2016
ALAN PARKER | Activist | 30-3-1936 – 28-3-2016
Much of Alan Parker’s childhood was spent during World War II in Coventry, England, (where the family home was bombed) and in Birmingham, where street games included collecting shrapnel, and where he learned the art of frugality – how to feed a family by growing fruit and vegetables in the back garden. He retained a strong interest in Churchill and the war throughout his life.

The Urbanist: Why was cycling for transport slow to get moving? Alan Davies, 17 May 2016
One of the legends of utility and recreational cycling in Australia, Alan Parker OAM, died on Easter Monday. Alan was a co-founder of the Bicycle Institute of Victoria (now Bicycle Network) in 1974 and more recently a regular commenter on these pages on cycling and other topics.

Alan was way ahead of the times in his vision for cycling in the 1970s and 1980s. Although it was a key mode in the pre-war years, by the 1980s its share of adult travel in the inner and middle suburbs of Australia’s capitals was close to non-existent (see How big was cycling in Australia in the past?).

YarraBUG Radio Show #387 Monday 25th April 2016 – Tribute to Alan Parker OAM: Chris replays a two-part interview from 2013 with Alan Parker OAM.

Bicycle Network: Alan Parker 1936 – 2016
Alan Arthur Parker OAM was a giant of cycling advocacy in Victoria and Australia. He was a key founding member of the Bicycle Institute of Victoria (now Bicycle Network), president and Board member for many years. Alan was Vice President of the Bicycle Federation of Australia, a member of the State Government’s State Bicycle Committee, founder of PEST (People for Economically Sustainable Transport) and author of an almost endless list of papers of cycling.