Hutt cyclists still need better lanes and paths, says mayor

Despite the Chile tsunami warning forcing organisers to chop off the lower valley leg of the Bike the Trail ride on February 28, more than 1700 people got pedalling along the stretches of riverside paths north of Lower Hutt.

That earned Upper and Lower Hutt the "Most Cycle Mad Cities in New Zealand" title (58,000+ residents section) for the highest percentage of residents in the national Mayoral Cycling Challenge.

The challenge was part of February's Bike Wise Month, a celebration of the bicycle as an effective means of transport  and the health, environmental, social and financial benefits it offers. Bike Wise Month is funded by the NZ Transport Agency and the Ministry of Health.

NZTA national manager of road user behaviour Michael Cummins said more than 8500 people in 50 cities and towns right took part in a Mayoral Challenge.

Mayor David Ogden says the popularity of cycling activities reaffirms his council's decision last year to increase funding for biking amenities in the city to $350,000 per year.

He and councillors Deborah Hislop, Ross Jamieson and Roger Styles - all of whom are cyclists - sit on a sub-committee that considers what projects should be funded. His own view is that more progress needs to be made on cycle lanes and paths around the eastern bays.

"In places there's hardly any road shoulder. You're riding along and suddenly the asphalt runs out; it's very tricky.

"And it's not helped that there's a real tension between the attitude of some motorists and cyclists. We've got to do something because the chances are it's going to cause more accidents," Mr Ogden says.

- Hutt News