Cyclists are appearing with increasing frequency
Cyclists are appearing with increasing frequency on our roads, but long-time cycling commuters say their daily trips are as dangerous as ever. ?Cycling is still a dangerous way to travel as far as I?m concerned,? says Korokoro resident James Crampton. Mr Crampton cycles down Korokoro Road onto the Hutt Road through to the Hutt River. From there he continues to his workplace at GNS Science in Avalon. He refuses to cycle on SH2 after a colleague died on the road a few years back. ?There are two key issues for me, the first is when I?m coming home and get to the new Maungaraki intersection. ?There is absolutely no provision for cyclists there, you just have to move into the middle and hope for the best,? he says. Once on the roundabout, he says cars looking to go straight-ahead can ?almost go straight through you?. ?You take your life in your hands every time you enter that intersection,? Mr Crampton says. His second concern is the amount of glass on the roads, which in one week caused him four punctures. He says the ?carpet of glass? on Hutt Road makes it almost uneconomical to cycle because of repair costs. Hutt City Council General Manager city infrastructure Bruce Shirlock says if commuters are having issues with glass they should call the council and the area will we cleaned-up immediately. ?We have contracted street sweepers ... they don?t have any roster or frequency, but they know which are the problem roads. ?If people ring up and say where the glass is, we will get it swept up straight away,? Mr Shirlock says. Pack & Pedal Porirua employee Mario Hatten cycles from Mount Victoria in Wellington City to Porirua each day. The 55 minute journey takes him along the waterfront, through Thorndon, along the Hutt Road and up the Ngauranga Gorge. From there he drops into Johnsonville and follows Middleton Road all the way to Tawa and continues up to Porirua. ?All cyclists are more aware of the hazards now and ride defensively. ?At intersection you always need to be weary of people who are not looking,? he says. Mr Hatten relies on other road users being aware of his presence, but unknowns such as people opening doors and pulling out unexpectedly are a constant threat. He says the growing painting of ?bus-lane green? on the side of roads is a positive step in acknowledging cyclists rights to commute. ?People are more aware with the cycle lanes there, it helps show they have a right to be there as well,? Mr Hatten says. Glass is an issue for him on the Ngauranga Gorge and he has around one puncture per month. Mr Hatten says Hutt Road is one of the worst for glass. ?People just seem to throw glass out their windows at random,? he says.
