Keep March breezy: beat the heat and the commuter blues

Feb 26, 2026
Keep March breezy: beat the heat and the commuter blues

Duncan Laidlaw

man on bike on two-way cycle lane downtown
1 min read.

Why melt in a motorway meltdown when you could be the 10% that sets Auckland free?

As the sun sets on a fantastic February, we’re sending a huge high-five to everyone who logged miles for the Aotearoa Bike Challenge. Whether you rediscovered your local path or smashed a personal commute record, you’ve felt the freedom of two wheels.

But as we flip the calendar, “March Madness” is back. With universities returning and the holiday lull a distant memory, Auckland’s motorways are once again hitting breaking point.

Yet, there is a silver lining: we don’t need everyone to ditch the car every day to fix it. Research shows that just a 10% modeshift, which is roughly the difference between a gridlocked Monday and a breezy school holiday, is enough to restore flow to our roads.

If we all shifted patterns just one day every second week, we’d reach that 10% target. While some can’t change their commute, those of us who can have a powerful opportunity to lead. Not sure where to start? Check out our How to Commute by Bike series, and join the Weekday Challenge. It’s the perfect weekly prompt to choose the bike, the bus, or your boots and help Auckland breathe again.

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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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