In great company: Bikeable Auckland gathers steam

Sep 16, 2016
In great company: Bikeable Auckland gathers steam

Bike Auckland

You legends! We’re barely started into our Bikeable Auckland campaign, and you’re close to cracking the four digits mark! Every single name, every single signature, makes clear how much a bikeable city matters to us – right now. Aucklanders of all ages are so grateful you’re giving it a push.

And the higher the number of supporters, the stronger our voice. So tell a friend! Tweet it, Facebook it. Download and print out the gorgeous poster (with those beautiful pics by Carol Green) and pin it up at work, school, on your favourite cafe noticeboard.

Meanwhile, take another look at the fabulous bouquet of logos on our campaign page. The flock of supporting organisations is growing by the day. Architects, software companies, non-profits, bike shops… and one of the country’s most prominent real estate companies.

bikeableaucklandsupporters1509

We’re especially delighted to have Barfoot and Thompson with us. Not just because, like architects Sills van Bohemen, they understand how a bikeable city is a livable city, attractive in every sense of the word. Not just because, like software experts Sandfield, they get economies of scale, and the way a city with more transport options functions more smoothly.

It’s because it really matters when prominent influential employers speak up for a bikeable city. The choice to ride a bike can seem like an individual decision we each make – but progressive companies understand that a truly bikeable city is a joint collaboration with a huge collective benefit.

One of the secrets of London’s cycling success is that it’s not just a grassroots movement – at a crucial point in the process, a whole lot of big firms bought into the vision and pushed for the East-West Cycle Superhighway to be built.

This support has made it much, much easier for London to crack on with the cycle superhighways that are drawing amazing numbers (2 cars to every bike in 2014, vs 11 cars per bike in 2000) – and bringing new energy into the city’s historic heart.

Kids on the Embankment, London. Photo via Twitter.
Kids on the Embankment, London. Unthinkable before this infrastructure. Photo via Twitter.

We warmly welcome support from organisations who share the vision of a bikeable Auckland. Tell your workmates, ask your boss – or if you are the boss, drop us a line!

And of course we’re pleased the campaign is being backed and shared by so many great bike shops. It makes sense – these are the people at the front lines, who know how eager people are to ride. Every day, we hear amazing stories from our bike retailer mates.

  • ‘The Pink Path sells bikes,’ says one, describing an influx of people who haven’t gotten on a bike in years but have been lured back into it by the promise of a safe fun ride.
  • Another mentions that every single bike he sold in July was an e-bike – and his isn’t even a specialised e-bike shop!
  • Yet another had five customers in one winter week buying kid bike-seats, keen to ride as a family.

Anecdata, you might say – yes, but every little story is shared with a sense of delight and surprise, as evidence that something big and special is happening. And that the city will be running to catch up.

So let’s keep up the momentum. Let’s get things moving! Spread the word for a bikeable Auckland!

teaumangereeastkidsonbikes
Just some of the hundreds of thousands of reasons to shout out for a bikeable Auckland! (Kids at Mangere East Primary who’ve just learned to ride; photo by Teau Aiturau)

Join us

Bike Auckland is the non-profit organisation working to improve things for people on bikes. We’re a people-powered movement for a better region. We speak up for you – and the more of us there are, the stronger our voice!

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