What is the need?
The need for more people cycling for everyday short trips is recognised by central government policy and investment, as well as by local government cycling policies. In announcing the government investment of $330m on 41 new cycleways across the country, Simon Bridges, Minister of Transport, stated:
“Cycling is now the fastest growing mode of transport in several cities and towns. Put simply, cycling is good for our cities, it’s good for the environment and it’s good for our health.”
Why is it a need?
Our cities are becoming more congested and polluted. Our population is becoming less active and suffering the health consequences. The benefits of more people cycling for everyday transport include:
- more liveable towns and cities
- improved conditions for travelling within towns and cities
- stronger local economies
- reduced costs for councils
- less impact on the environment, and
- healthier and more productive people.
- Bikes are an efficient and attractive option which can enable users to carry cargo including shopping and children.
- Bike use is a healthy transport option for a wide range of the population encompassing all genders, age groups, income levels and ethnicities.
The Problems Bikes Welcome hopes to address:
Normalise: Bike use is not seen as the norm, or a default transport option. We want to change that and bike parking is part of that messaging and solution: using a bike is an option, it is normal, it is supported.
Encourage – make it easier and more attractive: Insufficient infrastructure, including bike bike parking, discourages people from using their bikes for everyday short trips. Bike lanes are being built, people are cycling more, and many more are interested in cycling, and they ask “but what do I do with my bike when I get there?” It is difficult for individuals, businesses, and organisations to engage with the right agencies and organisations to ask for bike parking. Councils often lack of strategies for figuring out where to put bike parking.
Recognise, value, reward/support: Businesses can be unaware of the needs (or existence) of bike using customers. If they see cyclists as ‘people in lycra’ they may not recognise the everyday cyclist in their everyday clothes cycling to the shops or cafe. As bike use becomes more popular, bike theft increases. This can be deterred if a bike can be effectively secured.
The Solution – What Bikes Welcome want to do:
- More bike parking, because it sends the message that biking is possible, normal and supported; and it makes bike use more visible and convenient.
- Make bike parking easy: easy to ask for, easy to implement, easy to find, easy to use.
- Make it easy for businesses to identify and value bike using customers.
Bikes Welcome will do this via it’s website and printed resources to help connect people, businesses, organisations and councils together. We’d also like to produce a short video helping businesses understand the value of bike using customers.
Find out more on how to
bikeswelcome.org 