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Good for personal health, less harmful to the environment, better on the wallet – and often lots of fun.
Bicycle promotions like these are being bandied around as New Zealanders prepare to celebrate another Bike Wise month.
It happens every February when centres around the country hold events like the Mayoral Challenge, Go By Bike Day and the Bike Challenge.
Marlborough has missed a mention in the Bike Wise website, with a notice appearing after a search this week: “No events are currently listed in this region”.
Talk to Bike Walk Marlborough co-ordinator Robin Dunn and Marlborough District Council road safety co-ordinator Robyn Blackburn, though, and Bike Wise is definitely happening in the top of the south.
On February 16, businesses in Blenheim and Picton are encouraged to take part in Go By Bike Day when workplaces can report the number of employees who pedal there that day. On February 20, the annual Mayoral Challenge will be held, with Marlborough mayor Alistair Sowman leading participants on a leisurely cycle along the Taylor River Reserve, starting at Seymour Square.
A good proportion of staff at the Marlborough District Council are cyclists, Robyn says.
The habit is encouraged with the provision of locked shelters behind the council complex for staff to store their bikes.
A lack of secure places where bikes can be left is one of the issues raised when surveys are done about why more people are not pedalling to work.
Another concern is road safety, Robyn says.
To encourage more people to cycle or walk more frequently when going anywhere less than two kilometres away, the council started a 10-year cycle strategy last year. Designated cycle routes are among the plans.
Tenders for the first new cycle way – from McCartney St, Blenheim, to School Rd, Riverlands – are expected to go out next week.
Robin acknowledges some ratepayers will frown at the costs, but studies in other countries show the ratio of benefits to investment in cycle ways are three to one.
And it is not just economical benefit, Robyn points out. The tragedy last year when a Riverlands School pupil rode into a truck while cycling to school highlights the need for cyclists and pedestrians to have safe commuting routes in Marlborough.
The Riverlands track will be adjacent to the railway corridor and its gravel surface will be suitable for cyclists and walkers.
Robin says it will eventually be extended to the Riverlands Industrial Estate and finally the Cloudy Bay Industrial Estate.
Creating cycle lanes in high-volume traffic areas in the centre of town is another part of the council’s cycle strategy.
Cycle lanes are definitely needed, says Blenheim woman Lynne Haine, who describes herself as a “social cyclist”.
She cycles the 10 minutes to work most days, using off-road cycle paths for much of the way.
She also organises a weekly women’s cycle group on Monday evenings and says some riders are intimidated by the road layouts.
The Middle Renwick and Boyce St intersection in Blenheim can be difficult to negotiate on a bike, and the roundabout on Main St with five entrance-exit points and the main trunk railway passing through it is often a nightmare.
“We need cycle lanes painted in, so we can cross safely and people know that bikes are coming,” she says.
But Lynne, who has been riding bikes since she started school, still says cycling is fun.
“It’s one of my enjoyments and passions. It’s a good mode of transport and it keeps me fit.”
– The Marlborough Express
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