>>Loweded Wookie Francis has been riding motorcycles longer than you have. Cant you see its a posed photo man ? Cripes. If you think that is the kit that he commutes in you are deluded. You can look like a Xmas tree and still get run over by a pratt in a car as most of us have been.

@Matt - post 18

I see these cyclists doing it all the time. The mere fact that they do this puts them into a situation whereby their actions get them hit by a car so yes, they DO deserve to be hit by cars.

Whether or not you have seen them is immaterial. Ask any taxi driver, bus driver, or anyone who drives regularly and they will ALL tell you how bad cyclists can be.

To blame drivers all the time and not look at the stupid things cyclists do is to provide a single sided view and only act on that single view.

As a motorcyclist I am constantly looking out for pedestrians, cyclists, other cars, buses, trucks, etc all because I have been conditioned to think that everyone on the road is an idiot out to kill me. Bicyclists don't seem to have fostered this attitude and as such they get themselves into stupid situations where they inevitably get hit.

To solve these problems you don't punish others you change the thinking of those getting hurt. Good luck on that because that's next to impossible to do.

Also, looking at that photo I see no evidence of lights on that guy's bike. Even if it's day they should have their lights on to warn people that they are there. As such another piece of evidence why these cyclists get hit. They ride in such a way that they CAN'T be seen clearly.

Cyclists need to understand that cars, trucks, buses ALL have blind spots that can't be avoided. Therefore it is up to the cyclist to ensure they can be seen by riding in the spots where drivers can see them.

I have ridden pushbikes my entire life and NEVER been knocked off but then I also make sure I can be seen and not do anything to increase the risk of being hit.

I'm sorry but this is not rocket science so don't treat it like it is.

I agree with the comments that this is not the solution. I am a pedestrian and a motorist and a cyclist, but it is very hard to take cyclists as serious road users when almost every single trip each day I encounter major traffic laws openly flouted - running red lights, running give way/stop signs, riding the wrong way up one ways streets, riding as if there were no lanes, scattering pedestrians who are legally trying to cross on barnes dance or pedestrian crossings, failing to indicate.... Quite a large proportion of cyclists seem to think that the road rules don't apply to them and everyone else should get out of their way. I'm heartily sick of it.

Well maybe Francis should get a front headlight & wear hi viz clothing then he might not get hit so many times.

Here's an idea: drop the speed limit in Wellington to 5 km per hour. That way politicians will spend much more time on the road and much less in parliament, passing more silly legislation that most Kiwis don't want anyway.

While we're at it, let's raise the limit in the rest of NZ to 60 km per hour - it doesn't look to have done any harm to Sydney for instance and would help lift productivity.

Nice pic Namby!

30 km/h is a good number because it is an attainable speed for cyclists. When the bike and car traffic moves at the same rate, there is a lot less turbulence. I like the implementation in Newtown, where many of the residential streets have been lowered, but the arterial routes remained at 50 km/h.

It seems as if everyone commenting wants to blame someone for all the problems. Yes, buses are dangerous. Yes, cars are dangerous. Yes, bikes and pedestrians are dangerous. As near as I can tell, it's because people aren't overly concerned with safety or what's right or wrong. People do what they think they can get away with. Next time you're getting around town, take a moment to think about your actions when you're driving, riding or crossing a road. We are the problem.

Matt #18

You will probably come back and say that I therefore shouldn't have an opinion but as a Kiwi I do like to keep up with the NZ news.

I currently live in Sydney and drive to work every day and the speed limit in a school zone is 40 kph. However this could be different in other states.

I do agree with you that 30 is taking it a bit too far. I struggle when I come back to NZ with the speed limit being 50 kph.

Wooohoo! This is a fantastic idea! I find it crazy when people go 50kph down tory street - they'll get to the traffic lights 5 seconds earlier - but they endanger the lives of everyone they zoom past. Well done council - this is a fantastic idea!

Loweded Wookie you say "if cyclists want to be treated like all other road users then OBEY THE ROAD RULES like the rest of us." By 'the rest of us' do you mean car drivers who don't look, boy racers, drunk drivers - or just those careless people who make mistakes that add daily to the road toll?

If all cyclist are to be judged by the actions of a few fools, then all car drivers should be too.