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 where drivers were always assumed guilty until proven otherwise, it is weird to come back to Wellington and see the system flipped.”
By Matt Lorah #PeopleofWellington