Vote for a Bikeable Auckland

The vision for a Bikeable Auckland, illustrated by Carol Green

Why a Bikeable Auckland?

Aucklanders want to cycle safely for everyday trips. Our children deserve to be able to bike to school. And we all want to escape congestion. We face a growing health crisis, a road safety crisis, and the climate clock is ticking.

Who wins in each election shapes the city not just for their term, but the future beyond. That’s why we’re calling for hands-on visionaries; bold, bike-friendly champions who feel the urgency and will get straight to work on our behalf.

We need a bikeable city – and we need it yesterday.

Jump down the page to learn how our elected representatives can help create a Bikeable Auckland, or read on for candidate pledges.

Where did the Bikeable Auckland campaign come from?

Bike Auckland has been encouraging people to think about bikes in their politics for decades, and started the Bikeable Auckland campaign in 2016. What’s a Bikeable Auckland? It’s a version of our super city where it feels safe and normal to use a bike for transport, for short trips and long, anywhere you want to go.

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Candidate pledges

We asked candidates to take the Bikeable Auckland pledge:

I believe people of all ages should feel able to bike safely to get around. Auckland needs more climate-friendly transport to ensure a sustainable and resilient Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, protecting our environment and communities for future generations. If elected, I commit to making a safe, connected cycle network a priority.

Candidates who have taken the Bikeable Auckland pledge

View their detailed commitments on the links below.

Mayoral candidate pledges

Ward and Local Board candidate pledges

How Auckland’s elected representatives can help create a Bikeable Auckland

1. A Vital Network

Cycling and walking’s share of our transport budget should be higher – we should be aiming for the UN-recommended figure of 20% until the job is done.
Great cycleways are magnetic! Auckland’s iconic bike paths are drawing record numbers.
People of all ages should feel able to bike to work, schools, shops, sports fields, to visit friends, or just out and about for fresh air. So we need safe routes in our neighbourhoods – to connect us to local destinations like work and school, and transport hubs.
Some of these routes are already identified in plans but getting them built depends on Local Board and Council support and funding. We’re calling for joined-up thinking to maximise the network effect, bringing more good to your ‘hood.
We have the beginnings of a brilliant network – but there are so many gaps to fill, including of course Te Waitematā, Auckland’s Harbour Bridge. We can be smart about how we build: creating safe cycleways sooner. Cycling investment done right gives exceptional value for money, and every journey taken on foot or on a bike frees up space on the road and on public transport.
So let’s seize the moment, and ensure Auckland builds a vital network, designed cleverly and delivered affordably, and quickly.

2. Safer Streets

Let’s calm traffic around our schools, in our town centres and on residential streets, for a more people-friendly city.
Our town centres and the streets we live on should be places to enjoy, not just spaces to drive through. Above all, our children have the right to walk and bike safely and independently, and to cross the street to visit friends.
But with traffic now rushing past schools, shops and homes at 50 km/h, we’re not just a long way from a liveable city, we’re struggling to be a survivable one.
In their next term Local Boards have an opportunity to be part of the solution. New Safety Plans could create friendlier, more forgiving and more welcoming streets for everyone who uses them.
With better design for slower speeds and safer streets, everyone wins. Traffic flow improves, rat-running is discouraged, walking and biking become more enjoyable for all ages – and neighbourhoods come together.

3. Climate-Friendly Transport

Let’s deliver steps outlined in Auckland’s Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway (TERP), such as supercharging walking and cycling.
Transport contributes 45% of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s emissions. Of this, 85% is from light vehicles, primarily private cars. TERP outlines how to reduce transport emissions by 64% by 2030, meeting the target set in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan.
Our Council has the opportunity to reduce emissions by increasing investment in climate-friendly transport options, and making our streets safer. A proactive Council can give people more options for affordable, sustainable, and active ways to get around, and at the same time create a more loveable, world-class city.

Local election resources

Are you voting in the Albert-Eden-Puket?papa ward? Here’s what your candidates think about bikes.

Why Your Local Vote Matters: Bobby Shen on Bikes, Boards, and Better Streets

How to make sure you vote, actually

How important is my local board vote, actually?

Why Your Vote Matters: Understanding Local Boards and Councillors, and Their Role in Shaping Auckland

Looking closer at the mayoral candidates’ active transport policies

A bike-friendly mayor for Auckland?

A comprehensive guide to the 2022 Auckland Mayoral candidates transport policy (so far)

Make your vote count – General Elections 2023

Election 2020: Vote for Bikes

It’s time to vote for a bikeable Auckland!

We Voted Bike – and won a strong tail wind!

It’s time to Vote Bike!

Join the call for a truly bikeable Auckland!