The Press - "'Aggressive' drivers deter cycling tourists"

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/3180009/Aggressive-drivers-deter-c...

NZ no eco-ride, say cycle tourists

By KATIE CHAPMAN

Last updated 05:00 21/12/2009

"New Zealand needs to put its money where its mouth is if it wants
to become a true ecotourism destination, says a family of cyclists
scared off the roads.

European couple Wouter Van Wezemael and Vanessa Mudarra are calling for more cycle lanes after being forced to use public transport on their charity bike ride the length of New Zealand to raise money for Forest & Bird.

But Transport Minister Steven Joyce says work is being done, and it is a matter of logistics and money.

The family, who live in Spain, began their journey at Cape Reinga on November 1, but by Taupo they swapped their bikes for buses and trains, after becoming terrified for the safety of 15-month-old daughter Ella, who travels in a trolley towed behind Ms Mudarra's bike.

The lack of cycle lanes meant cars were passing too close to the family and at high speeds, Spaniard Ms Mudarra, 30, said. "With a baby we don't want to take those sort of risks."

Belgian Mr Van Wezemael, 37, agreed, and said there had been at least six occasions when they had feared for their lives.

He wrote in a blog about the trip that they found the attitude of Kiwi drivers shocking, particularly when everyone was so welcoming off the road.

"So friendly, patient and understanding when not behind the wheel, and so aggressive, impatient and suicidal when given a car."

People behaved as if cyclists had no place on the roads, he said in Wellington yesterday. "They treat you like possums, they just don't care if you're there or not."

The biggest problem was the roads, he said. Bad drivers were everywhere, but the lack of cycle lanes meant there was no safe place for people to ride.

That was shocking for a country with a reputation for eco-tourism, he said. The Government had to step up and commit to more cycle lanes.

"It shocks with the green image that you can't even cycle."

So far this year, eight cyclists have been killed on New Zealand roads, and last year 10 people were killed and 895 injured.

Mr Joyce said yesterday that the Government had committed $50 million to cycle lanes in the next three years, but it was an issue of both cost and logistics.

While cycle lanes were being steadily introduced, there were still thousands of kilometres of highway that were not included in the plans. "That would be a phenomenal sum of money."

As highways were improved, particularly with the $11 billion package for roads of national significance, more cycle lanes would open, he said.

The old routes would also provide extra cycling options as those would be less busy, and more welcoming to cyclists, he said.

The family travelled by ferry to the South Island last night, hoping the roads would be more hospitable for cyclists there."

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