Cycle Action + Urban Design Architects = Vibrant Livable City full of people and cycling

What a night it was.  The hall was packed with close to 200 people.  The intention of the evening was to get people talking.  And that is exactly what happened.  It was clear right from the get go that the theme of the evening was all about a desire to make Auckland a place that is designed for people.  The audience got what they came for.  It was encouraging to see that the bulk of the audience were not cyclists.  And it was clear that all participants in the evening shared the same desire and appetite for positive change towards a more livable city.

James Lundy expressed his views passionately. “Cycling is a litmus test of how the city treats its people”, was one of his observations.  This came as no surprise to the audience and it was a signal of the strong desire for positive change that permeated the evening.  Some time was spent on discussing the way forward and of course by the end of the evening unanswered questions still remained;  Where to from here?  What will be the impetus for the huge fundamental shift that is required?  Who knows?  Maybe it has already started because I sensed a high level of optimism in the room.  I was pleased to hear the phrase ‘tipping point’ coming from the lips of one of the guest speakers.  When Jan Gehl was here, he said Copenhagen started a similar journey 40 years ago.  And look at what that city has achieved for cycling in that time.  Where is Auckland currently placed  in that journey?  From a cycling perspective, I am putting my faith in Easy Transport Auckland as being a major catalyst.

Ludo Campbell-Reid was the headline act.  He highlighted some of the changes that are currently taking place.  The changes that are making Auckland more people friendly.  Have you noticed how the city centre is slowly saying farewell to “Free Left Turns”?  Wait times for pedestrians at intersections on Queen Street are being reduced.  Queen St has witnessed an increase in foot traffic of over 30% and a corresponding increase in retail sales since these changes were implemented.  And significantly, this has come about during a time of economic downturn.  It is all a start of course but do we really want to wait another 39 years for the transformation to be complete?   And Ludo’s response to the evening?;

As I mentioned last night, we have certainly reached a crossroad and there is a path ahead of us that provides Auckland with the chance to take centre stage. We must not waste this chance.  Let’s stay positive and build on the success of the last period to create a confident and supported city hall.  That is the key.  My team and I look forward to working with you all in helping to transform our city.  From city of cars to city of people….one step at a time.

Or better still…”two wheels at a time”.

cycling/freedom
Cycle Action Auckland — a voice for cyclists