Bike Auckland’s newest campaign is up and running, and we’re amped. Cycling Works will add Tamaki Makaurau’s businesses to the call for protected cycleways in our region, not only challenging an oddly lopsided narrative about cycling, but also giving everyday riders a chance to expand their influence.
The campaign is about as simple as you can get. We’re asking Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s businesses to make an online pledge of support for better cycling infrastructure and we will showcase those pledges on our social media and the campaign site.
Cycling Works platforms businesses because we recognise that, in our current political environment, they have the attention of transport decision-makers regionally and nationally. Plus, it’s time we put behind us an old trope, the one that retailers in particular always resist new cycleways. We know there are plenty of businesses that want the option for their staff and customers to reach them safely by bicycle; Cycling Works gives them a voice.
From the UK…
If you think you’ve heard of Cycling Works, you’re probably right. It originated in London in 2014 to counter the “bikelash” then threatening to undermine plans for two proposed protected cycling routes. There’s an excellent video about the campaign but in summary: a small group of advocates got Microsoft, Unilever, Coca-Cola and a host of other companies to publicly support safe cycling…and it worked. The two routes were built and cycling in London has since gone from strength to strength.
… To Cycle Wellington
Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington has its own version of Cycling Works. It was launched by Cycle Wellington to support Paneke Pōneke, the capital’s cycle network master plan.
“At the time six businesses were threatening the plan with a judicial review because it would take away parking and they didn’t like that,” explains Alex Dyer, Cycle Wellington co-chair. “We wanted to get rid of the narrative that business doesn’t like cycling.”
The Te Whanganui-a-Tara campaign currently has Mevo, Lowe & Co., Cogo, Garage Project and plenty of other businesses on board. Alex likes the campaign’s community-building quality and says its success lies partly in the proactive welcome it offers to a business voice. A big plus, he reckons, is that the city’s advocates feel far more confident now about their ability to push back against a prevailing narrative.
… To Bike Auckland!
So, to Cycling Works for Tāmaki Makaurau. How can you help?
The London campaign hit the high notes when volunteers started speaking directly to their employers. We’re aiming to do exactly that. We are, all of us, customers of any number of businesses and many of us are also employees. Why not trade on those relationships and invite those businesses to sign up to Cycling Works? It’s probably the easiest way ever to multiply the effect of your inner advocate.
Start by checking out the campaign site, get in touch if you’d like some of our campaign flyers, and get stuck in. It’s campaign time!
