Tauranga's cyclists are being offered the chance to experience the road from a truck's eye view.

The opportunity is part of a joint initiative between Share the Road and Travel Safe.

Timed to accommodate cycling commuters, the 10-minute demonstrations will run continuously from 6.30am–10am and again from 4pm–6.30pm on Tuesday, May 25, at the Tauranga Bridge Marina carpark.

Trucks have several blind spots that prevent drivers from seeing people on bikes.

The demonstrations will allow attendees to see this view first-hand, as Richard Barter, campaign manager: Share the Road, explains.

"This is a unique opportunity to sit in the driver's seat of a big truck to learn just where you can and can't be seen on a bike," says Richard.

The free workshops are part of an ongoing education campaign aimed at both truck drivers and people on bikes in response to two fatalities on Totara Street since 2018.

In addition to the Blindzone demonstrations, the Share the Road team will be holding six Share the Road Toolbox workshops with local truck companies and bus operators in late May and early June.

Using a simulated full-size road environment, drivers learn what safe passing and following feels like from a cyclist's perspective.

Russell Troup, acting director of transport, Tauranga City Council, underlines the importance of courteous road use and awareness of other road users.

'Totara Street is a busy road with heavy vehicles, cars and bikes,” he says.

'It's important that we all share the road safely. Initiatives like this are a fantastic way to learn about each other's experiences.”