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By BarbC, November 13, 2012

We are sorry for this short notice – but you know that Cycle Action is always on the wing!

This is important – we are having a memorial ride to remember Jane and to celebrate the achievements of Auckland Transport in making good the safety hazards at Kelly Tarlton’s Headland. We are hugely grateful for the work of Irene Tse and her team in the Road Corridor Safety at AT. They have consulted, planned, found the budget, consulted again and worked with superb professional dedication to make a difference in removing many of the cycle hazards at the Headland.

Jane is a living presence with us in Auckland. Please join the bike ride tomorrow night – it will be short, flowers will be provided at the meeting place, and a short poem and thanks will be read and said by Jane’s bike at the Headland. Please come and spread the word!

What: Third annual Jane Bishop Memorial Ride
When: Wednesday 14th November.
Where: Meet @ Britomart 5.30pm for 5.45pm start.

Ride from Britomart out to Okahu Point along Tamaki Drive, stopping opposite the ghost bike on the corner. Traffic will be rush hour, so ride either on the shared path, or on the road, which-ever is your preference. Brief speech, then minute’s silence, then disperse.

Special thanks to Christopher Dempsey for organising this event.

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By admin, March 19, 2011

At a time when the man who opened his car door on  Jane Bishop on Tamaki Drive last year has appeared in court for careless use of a vehicle  causing death we remember all those who have lost their lives on our roads.

Bike for Life Rally – video of the rally

At the Bikes for Life Rally in December we called for urgent action for world-class cycling safety in Auckland

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By Pippa, December 10, 2010

Thank you to all the people who turned up at Queen’s Wharf on Sunday for the Bikes for Life rally.  The rally organisers were humbled by the presence of Roger Wolfe (husband of Kay Wolfe, the cyclist killed outside of Morrinsville while training for the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge) and his 16-year-old daughter Kelly.

The rally was an opportunity for Cycle Action and Bike NZ to jointly request that the Government take the issue of road safety seriously with three key demands for action.  There is real concern that under the current direction, people who choose to cycle will continue to feel vulnerable or may even turn away from using a bicycle for transport. Cycling is known to be a common ingredient in the transport mix of every city that puts people first.  Auckland Mayor Len Brown understands that a ‘civillised city is a cyclised city’. You can read Len’s message to the rally that was read out by Cr Mike Lee here.

The new Auckland Council seems genuinely keen to take the interests of cycling seriously.  This is very refreshing and long overdue. As a result of the rally, cycling is well and truly on the Government’s agenda as well.

The focus is now on central government.  It is well understood that a good transport system is an integrated one.  The current transport mix in New Zealand is imbalanced with the bulk of investment going into roads.  Cycling will benefit when this anomaly is rectified.  That is what is required to make our Auckland and New Zealand a place that is attractive and livable.  Rod Oram is leading the way on this issue.  You can find out what he has to say here and here.

Mark Bracey, Chair Cycle Action

You can see coverage of the rally here (NZ Herald), here (TVNZ) and here (TVNZ). You can also see more photos of the rally on Facebook here and here.

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By Pippa, December 5, 2010

Cr Mike Lee read out this message from Mayor Len Brown to the 500 strong crowd who gathered today at the Bikes for Life Rally

Fellow Aucklanders,

My apologies for not being able to attend the Bikes for Life rally today. Safety on our roads is a hugely important issue for the Auckland Council.

The evening of Wednesday 17 November began like any other in Auckland but ended in tragedy for a visitor to our shores. That evening twenty-seven-year-old Jane Mary Bishop, like thousands of others, got on her bike to ride along the beautiful Tamaki waterfront.

She was on a working holiday from the UK, drawn to our country by its open spaces, friendly people and perception of safety.

At a pinch point in the road, Jane swerved to avoid a car that had opened its door. She was hit by a truck and killed. Her death was the fifth death of a cyclist in five days.

We need to move beyond simple positions that cyclists take up too much room or cars are inconsiderate. Most cyclists I know drive a car.

And most car owners will take great pride in watching their sons or daughters take their first tentative pedals on a bike. Most reasonable people see that cyclists have as much right as anyone else to travel along our roads and get home without being harmed.

Whether for recreational or for transport reasons, we need to make high use roads like Tamaki drive safer – and with my colleague Mike Lee, my council has moved to do that.

Mayor Boris Johnson of London says: “a cyclised city is a civilised city”  In Auckland, we need to continue working on issues like the regional bike network, the Get Across Harbour Bridge project, the “Share the Space” campaign and general road safety improvements, to better serve the needs of cyclists.

And in turn to help to turn our city into one of the world’s most liveable, civilised, cities. Then we can reduce the number of families whose lives are forever harmed by loved ones who set out on a bike but never came home.

Len Brown
Mayor of Auckland