So many people are out there, hankering to hop on a bike! How many? Well, Auckland Transport’s own research reckons 60% of Aucklanders would ride if the roads were more welcoming. And who can forget what happened in 2013 when AA’s Directions magazine – the magazine for car drivers! – asked its readers if they’d give cycling a go?
We are the 92%! So what are we waiting for?
I found one answer over at Bikeyface, the witty bike blog of Bekka Wright (her motto: “I have a sense of humor and a bicycle. I exercise both as often as possible”).
Bekka’s brilliant at boiling complicated things down to a single image, and her recent post on Two Mile Touring says it all:
The moral of the story? If a picture is worth a thousand words, a bike ride is worth a thousand lectures on why you should ride a bike.
Two miles is 3.2km. All over Auckland, a ten-minute ride will take you somewhere interesting. Bring a pal on a short round-trip, and watch all the theoretical worries and objections melt away. Every question answered, and new ones prompted – like “Why don’t we do this more often?” and “Where else shall we go?” and “How do you put up with it?” and “So when are they building some proper bike lanes so we can bring the kids?”
So take the Two Mile challenge. Pick a day and a destination, grab a bike-curious friend (we know they’re out there!), and invite them on a 4-k Frolic. Because cycle actions speak louder than words.
(And if they get the bike bug, imagine the exponential effects…!)
