International Perspectives

I was curious to read in the Herald’s Canvas magazine about a New Zealand TV presenter called Camilla Andersen. She describes how she is currently loving the experience of ‘Biking in Berlin’.

I’ve just bought a beautiful old bike and I love her. She has a basket on the back. I feel like I’m in an old movie when I’m cruising along. It’s a great way to see this city.

Note the personification, ‘I love her’. Is that what riding a bike does to people? I wonder if Camilla is discovering slow city cycling for the first time?

Maybe not. I never tire of riding my bike. Every morning I look forward to that first push off that gets me moving, freeing me from the clutches of gravity. Next comes the transition of moving the pedals, slowly, building up speed.

Camilla also describes how she hates the smoky bars of Berlin.

Berlin has not quite got around to the non-smoking in bars yet. Stinky clothes and stinky hair after a night out. I suppose I’ve been taking it for granted in New Zealand.

Smoking in bars? That’s so last century. Remember how the sky was going to fall when the ban on smoking in bars became illegal? Well…?

Can you see where this is going? I reckon we should do a swap. We could teach Berliners about how to make their city ‘smoke free’. And Berliners could teach us how to get Aucklanders cycling. Sweet as. Win win.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see our political leaders looking far and wide for good ideas? And sharing our successes at the same time.

Being that Auckland is a small community (2 degress and all that), if you know Camilla, tell her to get in touch. Cycling in Auckland would love her to tell us a bit more about her experience of cycling and smoking in Berlin. She could be doing the world (or at least two cities) a favour.

Slow cycling-the non-vehicular way.