Bikes parked at a London train station
Bikes parked at a London train station

A new article from Copenhagenize explains an initiative from the EU called BiTiBi (Bike-Train-Bike).

For me, the key quote from this article is:

It is not realistic to expect everyone to bicycle 15km to and from the office, but to cycle a few kilometers each way and hop on the train [Ed.: bus or ferry] for the bulk of the trip could dramatically provide countless economic, social and environmental benefits for urban regions.

Amen and hallelujah to that!

It is great that so many people in NZ (many of whom read this blog) do get on their bikes and ride 10+kms. However, if we want cycling in Auckland to have the kind of general acceptance we see in other places, the real growth will come from people feeling it is an option to cycle less than 5kms.

Cycle culture in action in Denmark
Cycle culture in action in Denmark

As we know from other posts, most Aucklanders live within 3kms of a train, busway or ferry station. If we can create an environment where people feel safe to cycle that is when those shorter trips will be made. Buses will still supply the vast majority of public transport trips in Auckland, so we should also be making it easier to get to interchanges and “super stops”.

Along with cycle parking at stations, we need the three critical components to a cycling culture:

1. Separated infrastructure on arterial roads.

2. More direct routes for cycles than for cars.

3. 30km/h zones on non-arterials.

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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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