MEDIA RELEASE
Cycle Action Auckland
4th May 2005

Bus not coming? Take the Bike!

Cycle Action Auckland chairperson Isy Kennedy is reminding commuters affected by the Stagecoach bus drivers' strike that missing the bus need not mean taking the car, they can bike instead.

With unprecedented congestion threatening Auckland as thousands of stranded bus passengers take to the roads, biking to work appears to be the only sane alternative. "Nearly every household in Auckland has at least one good bike lying about - why not dust it off for the trip to work?" asks Ms Kennedy.
The average untrained cyclist travels at around 20km per hour, so even a 10km journey only takes half and hour, regardless of the traffic conditions. "One of the really satisfying things about cycle commuting in Auckland is that you know exactly how long it will take since a bike just cruises past lines of stationary traffic," says Ms Kennedy.

"I'm predicting that people will get out on their bikes over the coming week and will realise that it is faster, cheaper, healthier and more fun to ride a bike to work. They won't want to go back to sitting in queues of traffic or waiting for underpaid bus drivers."

With warm, overcast conditions forecast for Thursday and Friday, it looks to be perfect weather for cycle commuting.

ENDS

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