I spent the morning writing a letter to a radio show on cycling... here it is...A big part of the problem is the culture of the car. I don't know how long New Zealanders have loved the car, but when import duties were taken off cars in the late 1980's, for the first time everyone could have their very own car.
New Zealand saw a huge increase in the numbers of cars on the roads in a very short period of time. No new roads but lots and lots of new and used cars filled the streets. The congestion made driving much less fun but did not seem to lesson the ardor. These days most New Zealand households have at least one car - some have one car for every adult member. Many people are deeply attached to their cars - some even define themselves by their cars. The bigger and better the car, the more important they feel. And driving fast - why the better the car and the driver, the faster you should drive. Only the old and infirm would drive slowly - the speed limit is the declared minimum.
Quite simply, I would gently suggest that most people in New Zealand seem to believe that driving is a god given right - and that it is good.
Thus cars, not pedestrians or cyclists, have the right of way on the road. Pedestrians know better than to expect a car to slow or swerve to avoid them - it is up to the pedestrian to take care. Even when a car crosses the sidewalk into a parking lot, pedestrians stop and wait for the car to pass. People accept that the car's progress is more important than their own - perhaps as in many Third World cities where the well born ride while peasants walk.
Thus planners design roads for the car. Where space is limited, the road is designed for the car alone. Throughout Auckland sidewalks and cycling lanes along the roads often narrow abruptly or simply end in order to make more room for the car. The walker or cyclists is left with no option but to fend for themselves amongst the speeding cars on a busy (and dangerous) stretch of road.
Add to the legal and moral sense of the cars' priority, a bit of aggression and busy roads become battle grounds. The guy with the biggest car (or truck) wins. What chance do cyclists have? (Any wonder the rich buy SUV's)
Twenty years ago I rode regularly from Kingsland to downtown Auckland. But I don't anymore - cycling in Auckland has become much more dangerous. The last time I tried to ride to work just before Christmas, I was very nearly killed. So now I ride very early on Saturday or Sunday morning. Even at that hour, every time I ride there is at least one or two incidents - near accidents - because drivers either don't know how close they are to me as they pass (or don't care) or don't see me and turn left or right forcing me to brake hard. More often than one should expect, drivers - usually young men - yell as they pass (often advising me get off the f**ing road). Sometimes they even throw things at me. I try not to return the gesture or shout anything back as twice (both times out by the airport) drivers have stopped and gotten out of their cars to continue to abuse me. Sure you can report the drivers if you catch the license plate number, but the police do not pursue the matter (they likely feel that they have better things to do). And then there is the sense that drivers blame the cyclists for any problems - as if the cyclist simply by riding on the road was provoking drivers to behave badly.
It does not have to be this way. There are a number of cities, world class cities, where cyclists are accepted, even respected, as road users. I come from Vancouver Canada where the car does not have a legal right of way. Cars will often stop to let pedestrians and cyclists, through. There are, of course, accidents because cars are very dangerous machines. But it is a lot better. And it could be better here. If only the cult of the car was toned down, everyone would be able to enjoy the city so much more.
And this should not be an impossible task. I suspect that many people living in the city are getting tired of the car always winning. And there are many drivers who already know and have the necessary skills for a world in which the car does not take precedence over pedestrians and cyclists. For a number of years I walked a dog. Every morning I crossed a particularly tricky intersection and at least once or twice a week I saw a very near miss - between cars. For every driver who drove as if the road was for him or her alone, there was a driver who was paying attention and looking out for others. The 'others', the non car drivers, are numerous and increasingly 'out there'. I regularly see the "walking buses" taking kids to school. And then on the weekend I see hundreds of cyclists attempting to enjoy the road. I am not sure how we can convince some people to take the car less seriously but it is critical for the life of the city that we do. It is not by coincidence that the most livable cities in the world are those designed to meet the needs of people, not the car. Making cycling safe would be a big step in improving the quality of life in the city for everyone - including car drivers.
