OPINION: Back on the chain gang

Narrowly missed clipping a black Holden, buses bully me into the curb, diesel fumes are the least of my worries.

Do I ride through the deep and widely slatted grate or skirt it and merge into the dual carriageway? Someone honks as I'm forced to cross four lanes on Manukau Rd and become sandwiched between a truck and a courier van... it's not my fault.

I'd just navigated by bicycle Onehunga to work in central Auckland.

It takes between 30 and 45 minutes depending on the lights, road works, weather and chances of near carnage.

At work, still puffing and mind trekking between curb and bonnet, I meet a colleague and fellow cyclist and am surprised by his calm demeanor.

He tells me how much he enjoys the chance to think about things on his bike before starting his day.

Time to think? Surely he means time enough before seeing the car door open in front of you.

No, he actually gets time to digest his breakfast, contemplate his day and finds the ride
to work - get this - relaxing.

Now I 'm no newbie on the bike, having toured Brittany, parts of Wales and Portugal, traipsed from Sydney to Cairns and commuted in London.

Riding along a straight stretch of highway with only a kangaroo for company is relaxing.

Pippa CoomPippa Coom


Keeping pace with inner city traffic is, albeit exhilarating, quite stressful and dangerous.

What's my colleague's secret? It's simple, he takes a designated cycle lane to work. He cruises a route segregated from all heavy vehicular weaponry by the North Western Motorway.

The cycle track gives Auckland City's western suburbs a link to the edge of the city and avoids busy roads such as Great North Rd and New North Road. It even has traffic signals that change for cyclists... like they're real people.

Bloody great idea. How do you get one of them there cycle lanes? Maybe the Government will step in.

The new Super City transport agency takes over from eight councils in Auckland and is
responsible for roading, buses, rail and ferries... and cycleways.

The organisation will be funded by a significant division of the new Auckland Council
and the NZ Transport Agency.

The agency's National Land Transport Programme allotted $27.7m for cycle and walkway projects this year.

  • The East Coast Rd shared pedestrian and cycle path, North Shore ($1.2m)
  • The Orewa west off-road walk and cycleway ($3.8m)
  • The Waikaraka Rd cycleway on the Onehunga foreshore to connect SH20 Mt Roskill to Manukau ($5.6m)
  • Cycle routes along Great South Rd and Chapel Rd ($1.2m).

The Government has already shown some leanings for the cyclists with John Key's promotion of the national bike trails from Cape Reinga to Bluff and a bevy of new laws making cycling easier.

It has also shown a preference towards new roads over public transport. If some of those roads have designated tracks ralongside them, it could be a win for cyclists - some
lycra-clad gurus might also say the track would negate the need for the road.

Pippa Coom cycles every day on her classic step-through bike imported from Copenhagen - a land where bikes are king.

She's a member of Cycle Action Auckland which has badgered Auckland councils for years to improve and increase the number of cycleways.

Cycle Action Auckland submitted to the 10-year plans for all seven local councils, the
Auckland Regional Council and Auckland Regional Transport Authority.

Cycle Action also submitted to the North Shore City's draft cycle strategy and Auckland City's soon-to-be-released cycling and walking framework.

Despite the organisation's pleas, the 2009-2019 Auckland City Council budget chopped
many cycling and walking projects.

Miss Coom says council input seems to be aimed towards planning and not actually doing. But she's buoyed by the formation of the regional transport agency.

"I'd love the Government to set a vision for a cycle city. Council leaders  have not had the vision to make cycling a priority,'' says Miss Coom.

I'm back on my bike in an hour and thinking of taking the much lauded Northwestern route.

It would take me in the opposite direction to home but I will be able to reflect on my day while getting fit and avoiding traffic jams.

And, for those of you who believe in the need, reduce my carbon footprint while knowing
each revolution of the wheel is reducing the imprint on my wallet.

From The Aucklander

Comments

Segregated pathways do already exist... along all of the roads and streets in our cities and towns. -But New Zealanders are so conditioned by our law that has always forbidden anyone on a bicycle from riding on them, that the idea of allowing even 'slow cycling'on them is absolutely inconceivable - even among cycling 'advocates'.

Whereever practicable , I choose to segregate myself from the rivers of steel by riding on the 'footpaths'.
Interestingly I'm seeing that a lot of the people who are riding bikes for transport around the area I'm living in are choosing to do the same. -Perhaps perceiving that the helmet and footpath laws aren't being enforced in rural villages such as this is (?).

If it weren't for the ever present fear of being pulled over and fined $200 for excercising what I see as my right to safe passage, I too would be able to enjoy the 'time to think' and actually enjoy cycling ( as I did for 10 years with 86,000,000 other unhelmeted 'footpath cyclists' in the cities of Japan ).
In Japan I was a cyclist:
In New Zealand, I am a 'sneaklist'.

Relaxing the law to allow and encourage risk-averse 'vulnerable road users' ( the vast majority of New Zealanders ) to utilise the existing under-utilised infrastructure is a prerequisite to allowing the evolution of a culture that will necessitate that our elected representatives vote in favour of actually doing something about establishing properly designed segregated cycling facilities.

Alan Preston in Mangawhai, Northland.
http://urbanbicycles.googlepages.com/issues