I’m really enjoying the buzz going around about the Wynyard Quarter development and all the talk of creating spaces for people in the CBD. The consequential rise in the profile of cycling has left me wondering about the future prospects for ‘burb’ dwellers like myself.
I live about 12 kilometres from the Auckland CBD. At my slow, comfortable speed it takes me just under an hour. However, I am increasingly reluctant to do this ride. Thirty to 40 minutes is starting to become my default setting and I am tired of riding on busy arterial roads, especially at peak times.
I have done this ride thousands of times over many years but it requires riding in bus lanes, passing parked cars and generally needing to be on high alert at all times. I’m tired of the stress. A nice piece of wide separated cycle path and a culture in which motorists take care of other transport users would go a long way to making me change my mind.
The other important factor is that I really don’t want to bother with having a shower when I arrive. And only in rare cases is that facility available anyway. Cycling for me has definitely moved on from being an excuse to get exercised up. I am happy these days with the low level exercise I receive from riding slowly.
I notice increasingly, people who drive themselves and a bicycle part way to their destination, then cycle the final section. But this is not Smart Transport. The main motivator seems to be avoiding the ‘high’ cost of parking in the CBD. Why pay for parking in the CBD, when you can store your car on a local residential road, for free.
For the record, hills are the least of my concerns. If they were, I would get an electric bike. And we all know it hardly ever rains in Auckland.
The other option that has been touted as a solution to traveling longer distances by bicycle is ‘Bikes on Buses’. I have been a strong advocate of this concept for many years. Until recently. This option has never really gained any traction in New Zealand and that’s probably not a bad thing. If the intention is to increase the numbers cycling, then ‘Bikes on Buses’ is not a suitable strategy. How many bikes can you get on each rack? Auckland needs hundreds, thousands of people using their bicycles everyday to reach a 5% modal share.
I have tried the local ‘green route’ to get to the CBD a few times. But it is very long winded and ultimately, not well enough connected to allow me a satisfactory ride all the way into the city. Too often, you have to join or cross busy arteial routes.
Of course, local green routes are perfectly suited to accessing local shops and schools. And it feels relatively safe. In my mind, this is the next level of low hanging fruit. This should be the next target for really growing cycling numbers. Currently, Auckland is nowhere near to reaching its full cycling potential. The lack of women and children cycling is the ‘canary in the coalmine’ indicator.
We know Steven Joyce needs convincing of the value of cycling and I also think the majority of public perceive cycling as something that is sporty, sweaty and a little bit difficult and a lot dangerous. I would love to see cycling promoted heavily as a transport option for short local trips on targeted green routes. The road engineering requirements would be minimal. It would simply be a case of getting the urban designers and marketing experts on to the job. The focus needs to be on ‘cultural engineering’.
But to return to my original purpose for writing; I want to share with you my thoughts for getting cycling in Auckland onto the transport radar. Both Dominion Rd and Mt Eden Rd are an easy 10 minute bicycle ride from my house. In fact most Auckland City dwellers also live a short cycle ride from a train station or a bus stop. Imagine, one day, the buses and trains in Auckland are fast, cheap and efficient. I want to be able to ride to a PT hub near my house, park my bike securely and stroll casually onto the waiting bus or train before being whisked away to my destination.
This would open up cycling and PT to a huge number of people who don’t currently do either. But we need some decent parking provision. In reality, it will take a bit more than that. Routes leading to the transport hub would need to be designed to cater to vehicular and non-vehiclualr cyclists. (But please, the the design comes before the engineering).
Also, a ready supply of cheap, practical bikes would be required. Bicycles required to do a 10 minute journey and be parked up for most of the day, need to be cheap, easy to ride and be able to carry some personal luggage. (The issue of the lack of availability of suitable bicycles in New Zealand is worth a seperate discussion. Bicycle retailers seem to be missing the opportunity to promote cycling to a potential market of cyclists by only focusing on sports bikes and mountain bikes). Look here, for an example of how it is being done in Europe. The bicycle industry will benefit from supporting cycling advocates.
Of course, there will also be a rack of public bikes ready for hire at your destination. (The helmet law will be a massive barrier to this becoming a serious contender, though).
Providing half-way decent bicycle parking could be done at a fraction of the cost of providing the current park ‘n ride facilities for motor vehicles. All that wasted space and expense. The successful implementation of this proposal would be a sign that an intergrated transport system was in operation. Cycling would be a key ingredient in the system. It’s the way forward. Maybe even the token bicycle parking fee could be paid for with the same card you pay for the bus fare. Sweet.
In a future posting, I will show a couple of short videos I took when I was in Japan last year. They show how the Japanese do bicycle parking at transport hubs.
Cycling-the non-vehicluar variety.
Nextbike was able to easily provide helmets with each bike. I did notice from time to time that riders would put it in the basket and ride lid free.
The biggest barrier to public bike success in this country is that is not funded like other public transport.
Talking about your ride to the CBD, and how you prefer not to ride on arterials (understandable), how's the ride via Onehunga Train Station?
And would you lock up your bike there? One of the comments we get from politicians sometimes is that the bike stands at train stations seem just – empty.
Do Aucklanders simply own too expensive bikes? Do we need "Parkiteer"-type secure cycle cages? I'd love Auckland to give it a try. Roll up to the train station, get out your swipe card, and lock your bike in a cage, rather than where it can be casually vandalised in public when it stands there for 8 hours.
Of course since the bike cages are cycling infrastructure – full stop, even though they benefit PT too – they would have to be funded from our ever-parched cycling funding…
So what is better? 100 bike racks through the city, or 20 bike racks in a secure cage?
Lots of topics here!
Oh for the days when I used to ride 1km to Papatoetoe train station, throw my bike in the guard’s van, and sit on the “back veranda” for free, all the way into Uni… Amazing views and near-total freedom.
I’d still like to be able to take my own bike all the way rather than park it given the walk at the other end. But everyone taking a full-sized bike would require too much smart organization. I’ve managed shuttle runs with just 10-20 bikes to one destination and even that is a ‘mare. Can we have some under $500 fold-up cheap copies of the classic Raleigh 20, anyone? Funded by local govt, like Wellington?
Without that, we’d need lockers or constant surveillance at stations. A whole stack of bikes parked uncaged for 9-10hrs in this day and age is just asking for it.
And on the topic of usable bikes: I am SO in the market for a shopping bike, but do you think I can find one that’s not either a $1800 designer foofoomobile, or cluttered with “commuter” amenities like a springy seatpost?
@Greg – Check out T Whites Bike, 132 Symonds St for a great range of bikes that will get you round town with all of the essentials (Kickstand, mudguards, chainguard, luggage rack, easy sitting position and internally geared) for $700. Made by Schwinn, which is great name from back in the day, still producing classics
The idea of increasing cycling by integrating bicycles into the Auckland transport mix may have been better framed as 'what is the best way to reduce car use in Auckland'.
@Max I understand there is no budget, currently. The benefits of cycling are so well documented that I think we could afford to focus on how good it could be. Or course, money would need to redirected form the current spend up on cars. Not an easy task but essential to develop cycling in Auckland.
http://t.co/ys8E5mD
@Max Cyclists are just so demanding. Can't they be a bit more grateful… The council paints a white line on an arterial Rd and then politicians complain that it isn't used. Why would any non warrior cyclists use Triangle Rd (even if it wasn't overrun by cars)? Completely predictable.Politicians cant be expected to know everything. They probab ly think they do. The ones who are unconvinced of the merits of cycling need to be bashed around the head with the tonnes of research documenting the enormous benefits of cycling until they 'get it'.
Maybe it's not very helpful, but this post has outlined the many and varied problems that need to be overcome before cycling gets close to being taken seriously in Auckland. All the issues outlined here will need to be addressed at some point if Auckland is going to seriously embrace cycling. The non-vehicular variety, that is. I'm sure there is a relatively cheap and easy solution to parking security. The BCR will be favourable any way it's done.
@Greg: Kona World Bike. Like a 26" MTB with mudguards and a 3-speed hub:
http://bikefriendlynorthshore.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/bikes-that-make-sense/
wow, Max, you need to get out more! each of the Northern Busway stations has at least six secure bike cages, you put a gold coin in the lock which releases the key and when you lock it up again, you get your money back!
@Steve C – what in my comment made you consider that I DON'T know about those? And why the snarky tone?
In fact I know a lot about them. Including about their downsides, like low usage efficiency vs investment, and various maintenance / misuse issues.
And my question was a serious one – which all seem to have missed: If we do have X amount of dollars, what do we want? Larger numbers of simple bike parking u-racks around the city – or should we invest tens of thousands of dollars for each [cage] to put a few secure cycle lockers at train stations? Where is the need?
Seeing that I constantly advise Council on these matters, it would be nice to get a few opinions from cyclists as to what they feel the limited money is spent on. We all want everything, but sometimes you get asked what you want first.
"Completely predictable.Politicians cant be expected to know everything. They probab ly think they do. The ones who are unconvinced of the merits of cycling need to be bashed around the head with the tonnes of research documenting the enormous benefits of cycling until they 'get it'."
Research doesn't convince opponents (or we'd do something against global warming by now).
I think we need to "sell" cycling, and do so by a variety of means. Barbara Insull, me and others from CAA and I had some really great meetings with local boards recently, and when we got great responses, it usually wasn't by quoting stats and $$$s. It was by showing off successes, great images, pointing out opportunities… I did make the point though that cycleable town centres make more money, because locals shop locally, rather than take the car to the "nearest" big box store.
sorry Max, the intended tone was gentle teasing, something that doesn't come across well in type
cycle parking infrastructure is a bit of a horses for courses thing, out of the peak, some of the busway stations (and possibly the rail stations, I need to get out more LOL) are pretty much deserted and the lockable box works for those who might have a more valuable bike
open racks suit those with low value bikes that can be left exposed to 1) the elements and 2) the unwanted attentions of the less scrupulous
my commute from the Shore to the Auckland CBD was (pre busway) by bike and ferry and the ferries are quite accommodating of bikes, although, if I was commuting by train, I'd only consider a folder and not leave a bike at the sation
Then again, maybe we should be looking back to go forward…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kP1KxPjh4RM