Source: Radio New Zealand
The government proposal would allow children up to 12 years old being allowed to ride bikes or e-bikes on the footpath with no speed restriction 123RF
A pedestrian advocacy group is pushing back against the government’s proposed changes to cycling on the footpath – saying only children aged five or younger should be allowed.
Living Streets Aotearoa says the current proposal, which would see children up to 12 years old being allowed to ride bikes or e-bikes on the footpath with no speed restriction, is dangerous for pedestrians using the footpath.
They also say some footpaths should be off limits to all bikes completely.
Living Streets Aotearoa president Tim Jones told Checkpoint bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters belonged in cycle lanes.
The group believed more safe, separated cycle lanes needed to be built, he said.
“There is a big difference between five-year-olds riding on small-wheeled bikes and 12-year-olds riding on full-sized bikes including e-bikes with no speed restriction.”
Many 12-year-olds want to be with their mates, he said.
“You want to show off to your mates, you want to have a group of you riding down the footpath competing to see who can do the most stunts, who can out speed the others – you’re not thinking about safety.”
Jones agreed that was not the case for all 12-year-olds but said just like with e-scooters “most people who ride them (bikes) are respectful and careful but some are not”.
That was where the problem came for both riders and pedestrians, he said.
“The most vulnerable people on the footpath are pedestrians, especially elderly pedestrians, parents with young children, say parents with a pram, pedestrians with disabilities.
“We’re putting them at more risk if this proposal goes ahead.”
E-bikes were particularly bad because they tended to be heavier and faster, he said.
“So the damage is about the speed times the weight, so the bigger the child is the faster the bike can go, the heavier the bike, then if there’s a collision with a pedestrian it does more damage and we’re talking here about serious injuries and potentially death.”
A pedestrian in Wellington was very seriously injured recently after being hit by a bike on a shared path, he said.
“So what this proposal would effectively do is make footpaths closer to shared paths, there’d be more people riding on them, more risk to pedestrians.
“So we say it is really important that everybody be safe and the way to do that is build separate lanes where e-scooters, bikes and e-bikes can safely go.”
It would be worth looking at banning all bikes and scooters from footpaths in some areas such as directly outside old people’s homes or hospitals, he said.
“Now that’s going to have to be done with local knowledge,” he said.
Footpaths are primarily for feet or wheelchairs, he said.
“That’s our space and we want to protect it and we want to be able to safely walk there, we want other people using other modes of transport to be safely in their own space.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
