Cycling-on-footpaths law a step closer
A change in road rules to allow children to ride their bikes on the footpath is one step closer, after a Lower Hutt mum asked the government to consider it.
Jo Clendon delivered a petition to Parliament last year, calling for a change to the road rules to allow cycling on the footpath for children aged under 14 and parents riding with them, adults over 65, and vulnerable users such as people with mental or physical disabilities.
Clendon also wanted to see mandatory bells for bikes being ridden on footpaths or shared pathways, and for local government to be able to exclude certain parts of the footpath from being used for cycling.
A select committee recommended the Government look at implementing what Clendon wanted.
The Government came back to her earlier this month to let her know that those recommendations would be included in the 2017-18 Transport Rules Programme, which is looked after by the New Zealand Transport Agency.
Clendon said she was pleased the petition had got so far, although even if things went positively, it would take about two years for the rules to change.
She said there were supporters and detractors of the potential rule change but, overall, the response was ‘‘pretty positive’’.
NZTA had looked at how often cyclists on the footpath had caused crashes and, over 10 years, children on bikes were a factor in footpath crashes ‘‘a handful of times’’.
But Living Streets Aotearoa vice-president Ellen Blake said she did not think the rule would make it through.
If parents, bigger children, disabled people, and those over 65 could cycle on the footpath, it would ‘‘change the nature of the footpath’’, so it was not just for pedestrians.
Blind people in particular would find it difficult if there were more fast-moving vehicles on the footpath, Blake said.
‘‘It’s really important that cities are walkable.
‘‘To be walkable we have to have safe places to walk, and that’s the footpath.’’ change