Wellingtonian Mike Trudgen followed his passion, and with hard work and determination has made his small business a full time job. He now owns and operates the Stealth brand of bags, panniers, and other bike storage options. He enjoys his daily commute to the city from Highbury and loves the social aspect of biking to work. “My favourite thing about biking and the thing that keeps bringing me back is the freedom a bike can give you.” By Matt Lorah
News: October 2019
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Six paid bike-related jobs in the last five years? Sounds about right for Thorndon resident Christian Williams. Christian loves bumping into people around town and casual chats at the lights.Currently, as a cycle courier for Nocar Cargo, he gets to appreciate riding all over the city. “I bike for work, for convenience, for fun, for health and fitness, to save money, to save time, and just 'cause it's cool.”His message to the City Council: “Current infrastructure works for around 10 percent of the population who are long-term confident riders. We need infrastructure to work for the majority. We need genuine protected bike lanes that you'd let your kids ride on without worry.”By Matt Lorah #PeopleofWellington
October 30, 2019
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After biking for 30 years around Wellington, Ngaio resident Jonathan Kennett has seen infrastructure and safety improve. On his daily commute to work as a writer he says he feels alive and invigorated during and after the ride. “I ride daily and have not had a crash since being doored while riding home in the dark in 1996. Since then the number of cyclists have boomed, and the attitudes of most drivers have improved greatly.” His message to the City Council: “First of all, thanks for your work on the Hutt Cycle Path. It makes my life better. Now, please remove angle parking along Thorndon Quay and install cycle lanes. Drivers cannot see oncoming traffic, including cyclists, when they are backing out. Removing angle parking would make a huge difference to the safety of my daily ride home (and for hundreds of others as well).” By Matt Lorah #PeopleofWellington
October 29, 2019
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Coming back to New Zealand from the biking utopia that is the Netherlands, Koen teamed up with Wellington local Stuart Cunningham to co-open Get Lost Cycling in Mt Victoria, Wellington. He enjoys biking in the lush mountains and commuting around town. His favourite aspect of biking is the feeling of escaping from the busyness of the city and getting into the hills. He says that recreational cycling around Wellington is awesome.On biking in the city, however, he is underwhelmed by the lack of…Infrastructure “There is low priority given to cyclists, and nowhere has adequate cycling infrastructure in place.”Empathy “When motorists see women and children biking in the city it changes their perspective. It is no longer only white men in their 20s who you can speed past and cut off, but instead families that should have protection from traffic.”Legal implications “Coming from the Netherlands...
October 25, 2019
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Student and avid cyclist Inka is often found pedaling up Makara Peak or in Polhill Reserve. “My favorite part about biking is being able to super easily get into the bush for good mountain biking or cross country cycling. Least favourite is a tie between bad drivers and the narrow, unsafe roads.” Her message for the City Council: “Get on a bike for a few weeks and see how unsafe we feel, but also how great cycling is. See how much potential there is for improvement and how good it could be for Wellington in terms of health, both mental and physical.” For other cyclists in Wellington: “Please stop running red lights and making us other cyclists look like a**holes! Also, try and stick to the road rules. Obviously if it's the safer option for you, break the rules! But if it's just because you're impatient, then please stop.”
October 24, 2019
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Born and raised in Wellington, Stuart Cunningham has learned to love the mountain bike trails the city has to offer. “Biking through the native forest is the best. The birdlife is incredible and combined with the jungle trails, it a great experience.”He likes cycling here so much that he recently returned from Australia to co-open Get Lost Cycling, on Elizabeth St in Mt Victoria, with Koen Greven.Stuart would like to see the overarching issues addressed regarding the relationship between cyclists and motorists. Starting with early age education about cycling and its benefits. He suggests the Government make cycling education part of the driver's license exam, and to offer subsidies on e-bikes to incentivize cycling.His message to potential cyclists in Wellington: “Take the plunge, you’ll never look back.” By Matt Lorah
October 23, 2019
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Fraser MacMaster loves overtaking cars on his morning commute from Northland into the city. With more than 12 years biking in Wellington and experience as a bike store owner, he has seen cycling conditions improve, but at a very slow rate.“Getting from Aro Valley into the city is not a good cycling experience.”He believes that getting beginners over the learning curve is critical for city cycling to hit the mainstream. “Adult cycling courses are important for driver and cyclist safety. They can give beginners the confidence and experience to get out onto the roads safely.''“At the end of the day, nothing is better than being able to unwind on the biking commute home.”Adult cycling courses are available from Pedal Ready. By Matt Lorah #PeopleofWellington
October 22, 2019
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Tim is a Hutt resident who loves the freedom that biking gives him in. He has been biking since he was a child and has recently taken it up as his primary means of transport. He greatly appreciates the bike lanes already in place but concedes that there are not currently enough to make biking in Wellington as safe as it could be. "With more connected lanes, biking numbers will increase dramatically and will benefit both us, and our planet." by Matt Lorah #PeopleofHutt
October 18, 2019
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Adrian Kearns, a Northland resident, has succeeded in living in the city without a car since 2010. Since April he abandoned the buses due to their unreliability.He picked up a Bullitt electric cargo bike for both commuting and going to the grocery store, and has never looked back.“I love the exercise, lowered environmental impact, and mixing with the cycling community.”He believes that safety is the biggest issue preventing more people from cycling.On some streets, things have gotten so bad that I plan my route around where the least traffic will be, and not around bike lanes at all. We need more bike lanes.”By Matt Lorah
October 16, 2019
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Peter Burtonwood stopped to talk with us at our people-protected bike lane event, on his commute home from work at the Fire Service. He has been cycling all his life and he enjoys the reliability of getting places on time, and the freedom to go wherever he wants.“I hope the City Council will prioritize linking up the many bike lanes around the city to make it less fragmented and a more consistent cycling experience.”by Matt Lorah #PeopleofWellington
October 15, 2019
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Be it commuting to work, biking around the bays, or mountain biking in the hills, Jill Ford does it all. This Newtown resident has been consistently biking since her days in university and sees no end in sight. She says the lack of cycling lanes and the oversaturation of cars are holding back the popularity of cycling in Wellington. “To reach our carbon reduction goals our leaders need to be brave. They need to have a long-term vision. We need to update all of our public transportation systems, especially bike lanes to reduce the number of cars on the road.” by Matt Lorah #PeopleofWellington
October 11, 2019
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As co-chair of Cycle Wellington, Linda Beatson gets to interact with a lot of people on bikes. At the people-protected bike lane event on Cambridge Terrace, she said that her favorite part was getting to meet the diverse collective of people that make up the cycling community of Wellington. “I love the convenience, reliability, and speed that come with riding a bike.” She sees the addition of green paint to cycleways and the increasing number of cyclists as a good thing. “The council can and should do much more to help progress the expansion of protected bike lanes.”
October 10, 2019
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David Gurr is a Hataitai resident who has been riding in the city for over 30 years. Over this time he has seen risks get worse for bikers as traffic congestion has increased. He loves getting away from cars on the town belt tracks. “I hope to see protected bike lanes grow throughout Wellington.”
October 10, 2019
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People on bikes deserve protection. We love the protected bike lanes Wellington City Council has built, but progress is far too slow. So we're taking action into our own hands. If the city won’t protect us, we will protect our own.Join us as we build our own people protected bike lane on Cambridge Tce, Wellington. Meet at the Basin Reseve end. Let's show the Council we need them to move much faster on building safe and healthy streets. We'll all be better off. 7:30 – 8:30am, Wednesday 9 October 2019 https://www.facebook.com/events/501394963988825/ #WeLoveProtectedBikeLanes
October 2, 2019
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People on bikes deserve protection. We love the protected bike lanes Wellington City Council has built, but progress is far too slow. So we're taking action into our own hands. If the city won’t protect us, we will protect our own.Join us as we build our own people protected bike lane on Cambridge Tce, Wellington. Meet at the Basin Reseve end. Let's show the Council we need them to move much faster on building safe and healthy streets. We'll all be better off. 7:30 – 8:30am, Wednesday 9 October 2019 https://can.org.nz/weloveprotectedbikelaneshttps://www.facebook.com/events/2254831907910045/ #WeLoveProtectedBikeLanes
October 2, 2019
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