I cycled 11,000km around Aotearoa and learned the following bonus safety tips
by Dunc Wilson
It's one of the most talked about issues of cycling: how safe is that bike person over there on the road? Almost universally, the conversation comes from the perspective of preventing the cyclist from being hit by the car. When, really, it...
Sometimes sharing a great experience with others is better than doing it yourself. But what if you could do both?
Jimmy Green makes his living sharing both the city of Wellington and the joys of biking with tourists at his job with Switched On Bikes. As a bike tour guide he is proud of Wellington’...
Michael Petta was busy fixing his derailleur after buying a used bike off of Facebook when I caught up with him at the Mechanical Tempest community bike workshop..
He enjoys biking recreationally both on the trail and the road as long as there is great scenery, which “here in Wellington is...
For the last year Justine Hall has accompanied her two children every morning to school. The twist? Everyone is on a bike!
Justine, who works for the Wellington City Council, believes that biking is “good for my children’s health, and their confidence. My aim is for them to be comfortable to ride...
“Cyclists just tend to be good people,” says Phoebe Balle.
In her work with Workshops For Accessible Cycle Care (WACC), Phoebe has led bike servicing and repair courses. Through the Pedal Ready programme she has instructed young people on how to bike safely and competently.
Jamie Hoare has always wanted to be a business owner. Earlier this year he combined his passions for cycling and business ownership, and he now co-owns NoCar Cargo, a bike courier business.
I caught up with Jamie at The Mechanical Tempest, a community-run free bike repair workshop, while he...
A recent newcomer to Wellington from the UK, Tamsin White rides from Newtown to Thorndon on her commute to work.
“I like the lower number of cars and the dedication to improving biking infrastructure in the area,” she says.
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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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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.”
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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...
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
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...
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
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.”
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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.”
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.”