Getting There - On Foot, By Cycle - Priority 7 Part 2
Last updated on
21/11/2008 2:46 p.m.
A strategy to advance walking and cycling in New Zealand transport
February 2005
Auckland event challenges perceptions of cycling as a 'slow mode'
'The wider public don't care about cycling. They do care about transport.' So says the media-savvy organiser of the 2004 Auckland Commuter Challenge, Dr Leonard Bloksberg of Cycle Action Auckland. His aim for the event was that it should be 'a transport event that included cycling, rather than a cycling event that included transport'.
Commuter Challenge events have been held before in New Zealand, but rarely this big. Bloksberg deliberately aimed not only at media coverage, but to dispel misconceptions which put people off cycling - in particular, that cycling is a low-status 'slow mode'.
During the Auckland event, a cyclist, a car driver and a bus passenger raced from each of four points in north, south, east and west Auckland, converging on Aotea Square. The cyclists averaged 27 minutes a trip; the car drivers, 32 minutes; and the bus passengers, 53 minutes. A win for the cycling team reflects similar results for this type of event elsewhere in New Zealand and overseas. The four car drivers were all motor racing champions, but the four cyclists were all average commuters - to counter any ideas of bias in competency, as well as to add media interest. Among the bus passengers were high-profile local figures from politics, big business and the bus industry, with the aim of building constructive alliances and raising respect among others for the cycling sector.
Included in the information supplied to the media were the costs of the different forms of transport. The New Zealand Herald reported these as $1 900 per year for motoring (petrol, oil, registration, warrant of fitness, repairs, and maintenance), $180 per year for cycling (two services, helmet, rear light, and pump), and $124 to $159 per month for bus use. Information on the likelihood of injury or death was also supplied, suggesting that cycling is safer than is often perceived, if compared with the actual numbers of cyclists.
Auckland's 2004 Commuter Challenge was part of National Bike Wise Week. During this Week, commuters are invited to try cycling for themselves on National Bike-to-Work Day.
Another common feature of National Bike Wise Week throughout the country is the inter-corporate 'BikeWise Business Battle', with awards going for highest numbers of staff kilometres cycled during the week. This event aims to highlight that cycling is as much for 'suits' as for those with limited transport choices.
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