Nicola Patrick has an e-bike and says it's the way of the future. Photo / 123RF
Nicola Patrick has an e-bike and says it's the way of the future. Photo / 123RF
Back to school and back on the bikes, but with an added adrenalin rush – letting the kids bike by themselves.
That's been my week. It's all well and good to believe in independence and letting your children take risks, but actually going ahead with it is a different story.
Yes, I've biked with them to school and taught them how to cross the road safely, but it's a busy road and trucks sometimes drive too quickly and they're still my babies. Waiting at home after 3pm is a different sensation.
It is not helped by two tragic incidents this week – four children in Sydney were killed on their walk to the shop for ice creams when a drunk driver hit them on the footpath, and in Wellington a father was killed by a car while biking home after work, riding in the cycle lane on Hutt Rd.
Paint on the road indicating a cycle lane does not offer much protection against a large metal object moving at speed. We need separated cycle lanes.
I make no apologies for letting my children ride on the footpath to and from primary school.
I have explained that they have to bike on the grass around pedestrians if there's room and, if not, they have to get off their bikes. That is a better option than being in traffic at their ages.
On the first day back to school, I rode with the boys and my youngest had a minor crash, losing his balance. There were a few tears, a decent bruise on the hip and a little blood on his knee.
I was so proud of how he got back on his bike. Falling like he did – on the footpath – wasn't the end of the world.
This term, my boys' school has the cycling safety team visiting, plus it's Bike Wise Month and I've signed up to the www.lovetoride.net competition.
I'm hoping to win one of those smart helmets that have braking lights and turning signals built into them.
I've also bought a wing mirror for my e-bike and it gives me a little more security to see who's coming up behind.
There are things cyclists can do to make our journeys safer – but the real need is considerate drivers who keep their eyes open, particularly at intersections.
Take a moment to look again for the growing number of people on bikes. Without separated cycle lanes, we have to share the road.
I was disappointed with the balance in the recent Government announcements around infrastructure.
More roads mean more cars. In a climate crisis, the level of investment going into a low carbon future should be much greater than the investment into the status quo.
We absolutely need safety-driven road improvements, but putting extra lanes on highways to save people a couple of minutes' travel time doesn't stack up – they are incredibly expensive projects.
However, it was great to see Auckland's SkyPath finally get some decent funds.
This addition to the Auckland Harbour bridge will open up the opportunity for people to cycle and walk across the city. We need this sort of investment in our regions and between our regions, too.
I'd like to see a big announcement expanding our rail infrastructure next. I've started taking the train from Waikanae when visiting Wellington and it has changed the whole experience.
It is so much more relaxing by train than focusing on the road. No risks of getting stuck in traffic either, plus a chance to do some last-minute reading before a meeting, or simply gaze at the coastal view going by.
More electric vehicle charging stations are next on my wish list. There are an increasing number of people getting serious about choosing an EV with their next car purchase, but we need the infrastructure to support this switch.
Let's go fully diesel-free for rail while we're at it, too. More than 50 years ago, future-thinking engineers put electricity into much of the Main Trunk Line, but without it running across the whole line, we're still using diesel. In 2020, we need a carbon lens across all our infrastructure decisions.
• Nicola Patrick is a councillor at Horizons Regional Council, leads Thrive Whanganui, a social enterprise hub, is a Green Party member and has a science degree.
