A cycling group has welcomed the government’s proposal permitting children under 12 to ride bikes on footpaths.
The proposal was put forward by Transport Minister Chris Bishop, which also includes permitting e-scooters in cycle lanes and mandating drivers to maintain at least a one-metre gap when overtaking cyclists.
“Having young kids in 50kph traffic is not the way forward. Ideally these younger kids won’t be travelling very fast, and hopefully parents and caregivers are helping them to understand how to be considerate,” Bike Auckland co-chairperson Karen Hormann said during a conversation with Morning Report.
Hormann acknowledged pedestrian safety concerns but noted that Auckland already has many shared paths, stressing that cyclists and pedestrians must collaborate to make the change effective.
She added that motorists must exercise extra caution when exiting driveways, looking “three times, maybe more, just to make sure.”
Hormann also endorsed allowing e-scooters in bike lanes, arguing that vehicles travelling at similar speeds should share the same space.
Chief policy and advocacy officer Simon Douglas said details would be reviewed over the next month but expressed overall support. He described permitting scooters on cycleways as common sense.
While some proposed rules are positive, Age Concern chief executive Karen Billings-Hensen said the main concern remains their impact on pedestrians.
She called for consideration of children’s cycling speeds and whether they ride two abreast and stressed that it must be clear children need to give way to pedestrians.