http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/study-blames-drivers-for-bike-crashes-20101122-18330.html

New article from ozzie. stats speak for themselves.

I cycled in wellington last time I was there and wondered how on earth I had ever done it before in NZ! People seemed incredibly unaware of me on my bike,and sometimes almost aggressive towards me. There's a notion in NZ that bikes are just for riding on Sundays, or for doing some mad, off-road track riding. Until people see the bike as a common form of daily transport for the working person,like it is in Europe, that attitude will prevail. People get hurt and killed here too, and yes, I've seen cyclists do some really dumb things. But mostly it's the motorists that are at fault. Even so, I feel much safer cycling in London and other European cities than I do when cycling in New Zealand. With some intelligent planning, and some education, there's surely room for both bikes and cars on road. Paddy O'Dea, London

Share the Road is it that hard.

no more needs to be said

again for you who dont understand Share the road.

Bikes are out selling cars so would be wise to get used to sharing the road, such a simple thing to do but most ppl here who comment are arrogant and properly in a hurry, are you prepared to go to jail when you kill a cyclist cause that is murder.

go look in the mirror and tell me if you see a murder or a normal person who is willing to SHARE THE ROAD

Oh, the ignorance on display here. All local roads are paid for by local body rates ! Cyclists live in houses, therefore cyclist pay rates. So why the whinging by some motorists that cyclists don't pay for the roads ?

I am both a cyclist and driver and currently driving 70km a day for work and riding 15 hours a week. Reading the comments on here it is obvious that most people have not read articles like this from the NZ Transport Agency regarding other road users.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/motorcycle-road-code/about-other-road-users/sharing-the-road-with-cyclists.html

In particular I would like to emphasis one part of this that states "Ideally, allow at least 1.5 metres between you and the cyclist."

Daniel #462 So you think cyclists need more training. You are probably right but I think both sides are as bad as each other. I was knocked off my bike in February, through no fault of my own. I was in a cycle lane travelling straight on a main road, when the motorist came from my left, never gave way because he believed racing the traffic was more important, than obeying rules. Consequently I now have to live with Benign Positional Vertigo for the rest of my life, due to the head trauma I received. So if you think cycylist should receive more training, then drivers need it too. It is well known that NZ motorists are the worst around. We all need to slow down and share the road. When we accept that both sides are at fault, then we may find a way forward.

A LOT of people here are completely missing the whole story behind this. You're saying that its all the cyclists fault and that THEY should be off the road.

Have NONE of you read ANYTHING about the tragedies in the last 5 days?!!?

They were ALL 100% The Driver's/Door Openers fault. The drivers have all been the ones who were in the wrong.

People saying that the road is ONLY for cars need to get a grip. Because it is the people like THAT, that are causing these accidents. Careless ignorance.

Cyclists use the road too, they always will. They have just as much right to use it as any driver, because 99.99% of the time, they also have cars, and they also pay tax.

When I come here and see some of the comments, it makes me so angry that drivers can be so arrogant towards the loss of a human life. These are not cyclists...

THESE PEOPLE ARE OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. START TREATING THEM LIKE ONE.

Just because something has wheels it does not mean it belongs on the road. as another person phrased it, our roads are not designed for cyclists.

There has been too many cyclists die on our roads. I get fed up when people say that drivers should get "tested every 10 years" when incidents like this happen. Sometimes there just isnt enough room and enough time for both parties to avoid each other. Cyclists belong on the footpath if there are no cycle lanes, if there are cycle lanes then they should be used instead.

Alot of our roads are not that great, they are narrow and windy and have high speed traffic. This in its self can be terrifying on a bike as cars wizz past you (even at a reduced speed its not for the faint haearted. And then there is our cities, with narrow lanes, lots of cars going in and our of driveways and side streets, buses and small trucks passing you with little room for error let alone the "recommended safe distance"

Next time your out, have a look around, can the driver actually give the recommended 1.5m space for a cyclist WITHOUT leaving the lane? or causing a disruption to other traffic? probably not.

After almost getting knocked off my bike when I was 12years old by a passing bus (it passed so close my handlebars where wobbling)I am now 27 and I wouldnt ride my bike unless I can use a cycle lane or ride on the footpath.

JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING HAS WHEELS DOES NOT MEAN IT BELONGS ON THE ROAD. The goverment needs to get real about cyclists and our roads, it is clearly a recipie for disaster. Has there not been enough blood shed yet for you MR John Key, for you to wake up, take notice and DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, so that more families dont lose their mum or dad or even a child.

I agree with the view that New Zealands Roads are generally just not designed for cycling. In some urban environments the risk is just not worth it and you would be a lot wiser to take the bus. The push to get people out of cars and using bikes is totally incongruent with the investment in physical works to make the experience safe. In Wellington I gave up cycling after two near death experiences with cars. Many rural roads also do not have the space consequently I have often made the decision not to use specific roads on a bike. Furthermore, up here in the north [Whangarei] the road surface quality is so bad that your teeth almost rattle out.

Regardless of these recent incidents, people who want to drive should be re-tested regularly. I have always been baffled that we can get a licence to drive what can amount to a wheeled death machine and never be re-evaluated for overall competence and familiarity with the road rules that help to keep everyone relatively safe.

Those who vote no are clearly afraid they will lose their licence or find that they have to learn the road rules again (Yes, again. Few NZ drivers would get a 100% score on a Road Code scratchy), so once again the self-serving majority votes for the easy way out.