Can you remember the first time you rode a bike? Yes, many of us can, and if it was during your very early years, you probably got very good at it, quite quickly.
And then we reached the age of 16, where for many, the bicycle was put away in the shed. And like learning to ride, we quickly learnt to drive. Getting from Point A to Point B in a car now became faster than we’d ever done cycling. The car now became our new transport of choice.
Despite this change in our preferences, the rates of people cycling have slowly been increasing over the last couple of decades, with many seeing the health and environmental benefits of active transport such as walking and cycling – Waka Kotahi tell us that 36% of Kiwis have cycled in the past 12 months.
And then along comes a bump in the road, or what seemed like a bump at the time. It was 2021 and the Covid lockdown hit. However, the ‘bump’ turned into a very smooth transition (albeit, temporary for some) from driving to walking and cycling (in a restricted area of course).
Wow, many of us had discovered our legs once again!
This increase in active transportation of getting somewhere using ‘body power’, rather than driving, saw many experiencing the delights they’d long forgotten. The pandemic provided greater opportunity for many to engage in cycling, and refocused public attention on safer cycling infrastructure such as protected bike lanes.
As we’re now in the middle of “Cycling Safety Week” – first introduced by the UN eight years ago – it seems appropriate to review some of the safety issues around cycling. For instance, is it an individual cyclist’s responsibility to take appropriate safety measures (including obeying the road rules) or the wider community to provide safer cycling infrastructure and acknowledging motorists and cyclists as equals? Or perhaps a bit of both?
Historically, cycling safety advocates have focused primarily on riders and their responsibilities, with emphasis on wearing a helmet, high-visibility clothing and following rules of the road as protective and preventive factors. However, research over the past decade has shown that whilst individual factors influence injury frequency and severity, things such as the built environment- how streets and neighbourhoods are designed, evolved, and used – plays a central role in keeping cyclists safer.
The evidence is clear – where there are separated cycleways, there are fewer unintended ‘meetings’ between cyclists and motorists. However, there are far more roads without these than with. So, what additionally needs to be done to improve the relationship amongst all road users to ensure their safety?
For instance, does visibility of cyclists have an impact on their safety? Certainly lights and bright clothing contribute to safety. As a cyclist who always has a moan when I see other cyclists dressed all in black, I was surprised at the evidence. Studies show that (in daylight) both are seen by motorists, but those wearing bright clothing are seen far sooner – and even sooner if the colour is worn on moving body parts such as one’s legs.
And then there’s the perception of some who ‘see’ Lycra clad cyclists as ‘Tour de France wannabes that constantly break all the road rules’. Interestingly, this from other cyclists and car drivers alike. As an aside, I was riding ‘Lycra clad’ very sensibly on a city street in Christchurch recently when a pedestrian yelled out, “off to the Tour de France mate?”. Mmm, the perception is obviously still alive and well. However, if the pedestrian had had a good look at the body in the Lycra, he’d have seen that regarding ‘Le Tour”, nothing could have been further from the truth!
And from people driving cars? As my friend Wayne, who often rides a restored vintage bike told me recently, “It’s really interesting. When I get dressed in a suit and ride my vintage bike, motorists are far more courteous than when I’m riding my normal road bike dressed in colourful Lycra – maybe they think I’m a lawyer”. Mmm, perception once again.
To reinforce our focus on Cycling Safety Week, over the last decade New Zealand’s cycling injury claims have climbed steeply by age, region and bike type – often outpacing the growth in cycling itself with ACC reporting an increase of 30% over a four-year period. Increases in injuries among children and seniors, and the explosion of e-bike claims, point to targeted factors such as novice e-bikers and poor road skills.
For example, the ‘being at home/COVID bike boom’ led to a large increase in casual or returning cyclists, potentially including older adults who lacked recent experience or confidence on roads or trails. Many new e-bike riders treat them like a mobility device but may underestimate the speed and braking needed, leading to misjudged corners, loss of control, or falls. In my own case and as an experienced cyclist, I had my first real ride on an e-bike recently, and ‘lost it’ going into a corner way too quickly, so I can testify to the data!
The data also suggest that injuries are rising faster than cycling, highlighting a need for safety interventions (better infrastructure, training, protective gear) to prevent crashes rather than just responding to them.
These trends, means we should be doing more to prevent injuries through training, education and of course better infrastructure, thus reducing the impact on both the economy and the health system.
And if you’re maybe thinking about a transition to more active transport, such as my young boy from our street I mentioned earlier, there could be an added bonus for you. The evidence is clear that adult commuters who bike to work have a reduced risk of mortality from any cause, and specifically reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease or cancer. But, and this is a very important ‘but’, please keep in mind that if you haven’t ridden for a while, do some practice in a very quiet (traffic wise) place and possibly get one of your friends who is a cyclist to give you some mentoring.
Enjoy the freedom of ‘body power’ for a pleasant change!
