Middlemore Hospital has been much in the news lately. The health centre at the heart of the isthmus, it sits at the heart of a health-challenged community, many of whom suffer what Dr David Galler calls “the South Auckland full house, ‘a six-card hand of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and gout’.” Middlemore is also home to a naturally health-conscious workforce, several of whom make a point of biking to work – while many more would, if it felt safer to do so. Anaesthetist Rob Burrell is one who counts himself lucky to bike to Middlemore, despite the lack of decent infrastructure. He shares his commute with us in a guest post, below. …
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The $67 billion global cycling industry has ubiquitous brands such as Taiwan’s Giant, which employs 11,000 people and has annual revenues circa $2.6 billion. But it also has plenty of entrepreneurs making waves at a local level. One such is Kiwi Emma Jonsson, a one-woman hive of energy whose mission it is to introduce New Zealanders to the practical and stylish cycling accessories Europeans have enjoyed for years. Emma sells retail through The Urban Cyclist website and to the trade through Velocity Distribution. The distribution business started first, five years ago, when Emma returned to New Zealand from a trip to Copenhagen with her Danish partner, Sebastian. She discovered there …
Bike Auckland’s technical staff (our unpaid volunteers with specialist expertise) regularly support pedestrian improvements that Auckland Transport puts up for public feedback – new refuge islands, zebra crossings, traffic calming. We keep an eye on Auckland Transport’s Have your say page, and when we see something worth supporting for people on foot, we say so in the name of Bike AKL – even if it has no (direct) bike benefits. But normally we don’t raise it with you, our readers and friends. With some exceptions! Read on for how you can help… In this case, Auckland Transport has been proposing pedestrian improvements in Mt Roskil (project page here – scroll down …
Updated: we’ve launched a petition to gather public support for bikeways on Dominion Road along with light rail. It’s the smartest way to protect the hundreds of people who already bike along this iconic street, and the best way to future-proof our city and leverage this once-in-a-generation investment, by allowing thousands more people to bike safely to and along our flattest, most direct, and most delicious boulevard. If you share our vision for safe cycling on Dominion Road, please add your name to the petition – then share the link and pass on the good news! Light Rail (LRT) across the isthmus and to the airport is a hot topic, and Bike …
We have long said that there are a few (maybe quite a few!) people within Auckland Transport who would love to do a lot more to make walking and cycling safer – and all they really need is senior leadership backing them… and providing funding. We’ve also long known many passionate individuals and local groups who are keen to achieve the same things in their neighbourhoods. This blog is about what happens when those people in AT meet those people in the community, at a time when safety is finally given priority for available funding. A place full of people, opportunity, and… too much car traffic The (Western) Victoria Quarter is …
After dark at Motat on the last day of May, they came – people on bikes, the bike-curious, and two teams of top comedians, all ready for the inaugural big bike debate. The crowd mingled and warmed up over drinks and nibbles in the high-concept Idea Collective Hall, with what some readers might recognize as the framework of the old tactile dome repurposed as the bar for the evening. As MC Wallace Chapman said admiringly, the joint was really working an 80s night club vibe. Then it was time to take our seats at tables for the main event. Wallace expertly primed the crowd, greeting us with ‘Give it up …
TL:DR: the Waitemata Local Board has won significant improvements to the quality and safety of the Quay Street/Tamaki Drive cycleway at the Ports, to tie into Bike AKL’s win from 2017. As an advocacy group working ‘inside the tent’ with Auckland Transport on improvements for safer cycling, we often hear great news about bike projects before they’re ready to go public. So, when we were recently shown plans for a ‘missing piece’ of the Quay Street / Tamaki Drive bikeway, our first instinct was to tell you all the good news … but we kept our silence while the project was still under wraps. Happily, now that the Local Board has made …
We welcome Auckland Transport’s recent media release last week, acknowledging the horrific increase since 2014 in deaths and serious injuries for people using AT’s road network (as laid out in the independent safety report commissioned by the AT board). It’s painful but necessary to have this out in the open, and Greater Auckland covered the topic well in a recent blog post. We especially welcome the proposed response, which is that AT will massively ramp up its spending to create safer roads, joining Minister Genter’s commitment to Vision Zero. I’m keen to hear from you how the extra cycling safety dollars could be used most effectively. While you think about it, I’d like …
Running alongside SH16, the Northwestern Cycleway is not only the key bike path from the western suburbs into the CBD, it’s also a crucial local connection to and between Kingsland, Eden Terrace, and Arch Hill. And it’s booming – daily bike traffic has tripled in less than five years, with a daily average of close to 1000 trips registered by the automatic bike counter near Bond St (and 1500 on the last Thursday in February!). It’s a huge success story – with a major pinch point: the section between St Lukes Rd and Newton Rd. Built in the early 2000s as a shared path for bikes and pedestrians, the width …
Plugged into the cycleway network on all sides, a short ride from a train station and future light rail, knitted into nearby neighborhoods and only half an hour ride from the central city, and with a transport plan to create bike-friendly streets inside a green campus… Auckland’s newest development could be our first Biketopia. Announced on Sunday, the government’s purchase of 29ha of Unitec land in Mt Albert in order to create affordable housing in partnership with iwi will bring 3000-4000 new homes – and 10,000 or so new residents – to what is, in transport terms, an absolute gem of a location. The land, full of history and heritage and …
Wondering if it’s time to become a Bike Auckland member and support our work for a more bike-friendly city? We’ve got seven new reasons why you should! Bike Barn has joined our bike shop partnership programme, and that means its seven Auckland stores now offer membership discounts of up to 25 percent when you present your membership card. Here’s the inside story on the Bike Barn offer: What is Bike Barn? It’s one of the big dogs of the New Zealand cycle trade, that’s what. With 19 stores up and down the country and a very active marketing programme, chances are you’ve heard of Bike Barn already. Bike Barn’s Auckland stores spread …
Welcome to sister stores Mt Eden Cycles and Hot Cycles, the newest Bike Auckland bike shop partners! Here’s all you need to know about these two shops, the bike nuts that run them, and why they’re proud to support Bike Auckland by offering special deals for our members… What and who are Mt Eden Cycles and Hot Cycles? Owned by the affable Mark Taylor and wife Debbie, plus Louis Crosby and Tracey Steens, the two shops retail the established Specialized range, although they will happily build you up a bike from almost any brand you fancy. Known to aficionados as MEC, Mt Eden Cycles is, not surprisingly, located on Mt Eden Road, on the stretch …
Friend of Bike Auckland (and former committee member) Bryce Pearce has been mulling over the tragedy on Te Atatu Rd last week, in the light of long-running attempts by the local community to make this stretch of road safer for everyone. This post also appears on his blog, the Orewa Urbanist. I’ve written and deleted this post a few times since Thursday evening’s tragic death of John Bonner on Te Atatu Road. Now, we do not know how events unfolded, so I’m not interested in arguing the finer points. (Editorial note: and with the crash still under investigation it wouldn’t be appropriate to speculate on the details, so please, let’s not.) …
Lots of people asked about our T-shirts at Lightpath Festival. Here’s a quick reminder that you can wear your heart on your sleeve – or front or even tote bag – via our online shop! We have a range of shapes and styles and colours and sizes, including super-cute little kids’ tees with little bikes on. It’s a great way to share your enthusiasm for a more bike-friendly city wherever you go – and a small portion of each purchase goes to Bike Auckland so we can get on with the work while you get out and ride. Check out the FAQs here. DELIVERY NOTE UPDATE: Digitees have advised any new orders will ship …
Wait, what’s a car doing in our feature spot? Well, as part of our new membership benefits, we’re partnering with local bike shops and other merchants to bring special discounts and exclusive opportunities to everyone who becomes a Bike Auckland member. One of the wonderful businesses backing bike advocacy in your city offers a new way to think about personal transport. What if you didn’t have to own a car, but could use one whenever you liked? And what if that car came with a bike rack so you could get further afield on two wheels? That’s the Cityhop proposition – and we even hear Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Center is a fan! …
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