I was impressed with this image from a story on Auckland’s traffic congestion which suggested Aucklanders spend 4 weeks a year stuck in traffic.
It’s a great perspective with the queued traffic snarling to a standstill while the lone cyclist has plenty of space to zoom along having a great time. I do have to ask myself the question ‘why aren’t there more people on that cyclepath’? Cycling seems like the perfect solution to me, but there’s obviously a lot of people very grumpy about being inconvenienced by construction of our new cycleways who are not so enthusiastic about cycling. A couple of examples are the irate business owners complaining to Christchurch Council and the dairy owner on Colombo St.
Over the years I’ve noticed some of these stories focus on public transport as the solution (which is a good thing) but some never mention cycling as a practical solution. Why don’t frustrated motorists get on a bike more often? If they live far away, get on an electric bike! If it’s occasionally raining, put on a jacket! It’s not that hard!
I was pleased to see NZTA is trying to change this attitude with its recent ad which is encouraging people to commute on a bike more often, with a “ride-more, feel-more” message that cycling to work makes you feel more alive. Helmet hair is portrayed as a positive, which may be a stretch for some people, but overall a great message I thought.
