In Sydney it’s just too treacherous to cycle, and the risk of injury is too high to me to make it worth it.

In addition there are places where bikes are massively inconvenienced vs cars.

The classic example is the (I’d guess) 6 story flight of stairs to walk your bike up to use the harbour bridge. There are other examples like this, around bridges.

These add a lot of time and sweat to a commute making it more convenient to drive or eat a train or bus.

Cycling for pleasure, if you drive to the right places, is still possible.