Editorial: Bay's still not getting on its bike

Today marks the first day of BikeWise month. A noble initiative, of course, but dare I begin the first of February on a curmudgeonly note, I'd hazard there's a few bumps in that road.

Before you can get people to bike wisely, one must first get them to bike.

From where I'm sitting, which like most people in this province is not on a bike seat, this continues to be the challenge.

Despite strong competitive and recreational cycling cultures in this region, there's a near non-existent pushbiking commuter demographic. And by commuter I mean those heading to work or simply going about their daily business.

If you're not clad in garish Lycra or sleep-cycling your way along a limestone trail, ostensibly you're not interested in cycling.

Living in Wellington a decade ago, I biked to work most days - as did thousands of others. Paradoxically, the capital has neither our benevolent climate nor topography conducive to commuter biking, yet it boasts an unequalled commuter-cycling fraternity.

Likewise in Auckland, where during a brief visit last year I noted a wholesome wheel-clad workforce, with some in corporate attire even scootering and longboarding to the office via the waterfront.

Perhaps the metropolises' habit of leaving the car in the garage is a healthy symptom of their congested roads. Here in the Bay our commute is swift. We needn't seek an alternative to the motor vehicle.

Unfortunately, I'm part of the problem. Until a year ago I biked to work in Hastings every day. The difference now is I have the use of a company car, which during the day is used by colleagues at work. Leaving it at home isn't an option.

A few years' back, one of my kids' teachers told me the 1987 abduction and murder of 6-year-old Napier schoolgirl Teresa Cormack changed the way kids got to school. That is, not by themselves, not on a bike, but by motor vehicle.

I'm not sure if that's still the case, I suspect it is, yet I also suspect the fewer schoolchildren and daily commuters we have on our roads the higher the apathy from those behind the wheel.

Without a cycling culture, road-user conflict is inevitable.

Competitive and Sunday bikers don't, on their own, constitute such a culture. The infrastructure may be on the up but I'm not convinced we're thinking any differently.

Damn shame. The chain-driven vehicle is my pick for our species' best invention.

Maybe we need to wait until our roads and main trunks are as busy as Auckland's - or when petrol prices become untenable.