Fun on two wheels at Bike Life
Event a response to negative reaction to bikes in town
icycle and motorbike riders are not in great odour in Kaikohe at the moment, but there was a very different atmosphere in the old RSA carpark in Upper Broadway on Saturday when Jay Hepi staged Bike Life 405 Kaikohe.
The event, designed as a response to the negative reaction to bicycles and motorbikes being ridden dangerously around the streets of Kaikohe, featured bicycle races, bicycle and motorbike tricks, with prizes for the best performances, in an environment where riders could be talked to about safety, for themselves and the community.
“I thought it would be good to have a community approach rather than leaving it to the police, hoping that the community can come together to find a resolution for [bikes being ridden recklessly],” Hepi said.
“I went to a community meeting at the memorial hall, and this topic came up but none of these young fellas were there. So I thought if we create a platform for them to come to then we can speak to them. The main message is safety, for the community and themselves, the riders.”
It was a very positive event, he said, where riders could be engaged with rather than simply taking to Facebook, complaining and speaking “at” them.
“Yeah they’ve been riding around, but they have been allowed to,” he added. “The police haven’t been pulling them up, the community patrol hasn’t been pulling them up, nobody has actively been pulling them up, so they have been allowed to get away with it. As of the last two — three weeks the police have been pulling up the bikes. I support the police, especially if the boys are being blatant about it. They need to be pulled up and have their bicycles confiscated. They need to learn.”
He was also keen to see a dedicated area where bikes could be ridden.