A rally will be held in Hamilton calling for urgent, national-level action to make it safer to cycle in Aotearoa.

The rally will be held on Saturday 14 May at 11am beginning at Steele Park. Participants will ride together to Garden Place where a ‘die-in’ will be held to raise awareness of the risks that people riding bikes in Aotearoa currently face.

Organiser, Melissa Smith, says that she was moved to take action following the death of a number of people riding bikes across the country over a short period of time, including Auckland teenager Levi James. The rally follows another demonstration calling for change held recently in Auckland.

Smith, who is a student living in Hamilton, has personally experienced several near-misses while travelling by bike in the city.

“Everyone deserves to be able to get home safely, regardless of how they travel.

“Too many people are losing their lives on our streets because of a lack of safe, protected bike lanes. This is something we simply can’t accept any longer. We’re calling for the government to act with greater urgency and create a national strategy for safe cycling.”

Hamilton City Councillor Sarah Thomson, who is also helping to organise the rally, says that she has become frustrated with the lack of priority given to investing in cycling infrastructure.

“Cycling is a great way to get around – it’s fun, healthy and affordable. We know that two thirds of residents here in Hamilton would like to bike, or would bike more often, if they felt that it was safe.

“However, right now we’re lacking the separated infrastructure needed to make people feel safe and that needs to change. This is about giving people real choices.”

Thomson says that a key barrier to rolling out separated cycleways is the lack of funding at a national level. Less than four percent of the national transport budget is currently allocated to walking and cycling combined.

Those interested in attending the rally can find more information through the following links:

https://fb.me/e/3mVd2TUto

https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2022/rally-for-safer-cycling-share-the-streets-kirikiriroa/hamilton

According to the Ministry of Transport, seven people riding bikes have already been killed on New Zealand roads this year, including one in the Waikato. There were nine cyclist fatalities in 2021.

ENDS

Media contacts: Melissa Smith 022 080 5793 sharethestreet.kirikiriroa@gmail.com.

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