Tauranga City Council's transportation cycling advocate Bruce Galloway says road safety for cyclists in the city is ‘pretty good.'
His comments follow the death of Morrinsville cyclist Kay Heather Wolfe, who became the fifth cyclist to die on New Zealand roads in five days.
Bruce says Tauranga has 70km of marked cycleway and 45km of maintained walkways, many of which can also be used by cyclists.
'More cycleways are going in annually so I think it's looking pretty good,” says Bruce.
He says the biggest way to avoid cycling accidents and fatalities is for motorists and cyclists to obey road rules.
Bruce is also urging cyclists not to wear iPods while they are cycling.
Mount Maunganui woman Kumiko Goodhall was wearing an iPod when she died in a collision with a train near the Bayfair Shopping Centre when she was cycling earlier this year.
Bruce says many Tauranga cyclists have been out on the roads recently training for the Taupo Cycle Challenge.
'Cycling is very strong at the moment. It has been for a number of years.”
6 comments
Cyclists safety
Posted on 19-11-2010 08:53 | By tia
It may be pretty safe but is an element of the cycling fraternity who think they are 10 feet tall and bullet proof. Don't obey traffic lights, don't stop as compulsory "Stop" signs pedestrian crossings may as well not be there to name a few. So it is time they took responsibility for their actions and obeyed basic Road rules
Cyclists obey
Posted on 19-11-2010 09:52 | By tabatha
Cyclists need to realise the road rules are for them as well. I can remember a Ministry of Transport Instructor bring in two books to a class once and telling them the bigg book was full of road rules that all cyclists and motorists needed to know followed by another book of cyclist rules. What he was saying cyclists actually have more road rules. The big book had nothing about car requirements just road rules. Cyclists and motorists do need to take care but the two cyclists that passed each other at Chapel Street lights on Wednesday morning show why accidents occur, they were lucky.
Get real
Posted on 19-11-2010 11:47 | By dogsbody
there are very few cyclists with that bad attitude, the rest are very aware of the rules and cyclist vulnerability. just as there are a few idiots in cars, don't paint every cyclist with the same brush. The so called 'marked cycleways' sound all very good and safe in theory but look at the position of a lot of it -- midstream in the traffic in the case of Cameron Rd. The council needs to pull finger and get dedicated, separate cycleways throughout the city. car drivers like Tia and Tabatha need to get out of their Soccer Mum drivers seat and get your backsides in the saddle, then you'll see the situation from both sides. who knows, it might even improve your health as well as attitude.
Safety is pretty bad actually
Posted on 19-11-2010 12:41 | By bringa
I moved to Tauranga as a cyclist and now I would not call myself a cyclist. Especially after an incident where I was travelling down Maungatapu Rd at about 40km/hr when a car overtook me (fair enough) and then pulled over right infornt of me. I took what avasive action I could going at such a speed on a bicycle and narrowly missed the car. The car then followed me and shouted abuse. This followed a few incidents of road rage and I was not breaking any road rules I can promise you. I felt safer cycling in Auckland!
CAR WARS
Posted on 19-11-2010 15:17 | By The Master
Sadly when there is a confrontation between a car and a bike. the bike will loose. Cyclists can help themselves by keeping well to the left, not being more than two abreast, helmets etc. Right or wrong a cyclist is going to loose !
NEARLY another ststistic !!!!
Posted on 20-11-2010 09:28 | By campmother
I live on a narrow, windy, hilly country road. (Ohauiti Road) This is very popular with cyclists, but they should not be allowed on such narrow roads. The number of times there has been 'a close-shave' is incredible. These country roads are far too dangerous for the speed that these cyclists can get up to, coming down the hill. I had a fullu laden trailer, approaching the narrow one way bridge, which I had the right of way, and a cyclist came ZOOMING down and across the bridge as I approached it, he missed the bonnet fo my car, by an inch. If I hadnt have stopped he would have hit me head on, and YES, another statistic !!!! I do realise, that he had picked up a great speed, coming down the hill, but they should have brakes that can control them at such times. All cyclists should be licenced, along with a warrant of fitness for their cycles. Any other vehicle that uses the road has to be licenced, and wing mirrors would be of great use as well.
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