Bay cyclists lucky to reach destination alive

Napier woman Amy Symonds enjoys cycling to work but a first-person video of the journey shows how lucky she is to make her Hastings destination alive every day.

Dr Symonds began cycling from her home on Bluff Hill to work at the Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings about six months ago in the interest of healthy living, exercise and using pedal power over a vehicle.

Since then other work mates had joined the cycling movement to travel the 20km route but negotiating the narrow width of the Chesterhope bridge over the Ngaruroro river was a major safety issue.

Dr Symonds outlined the risk cyclists were taking on the bridge when she presented to the Hastings District Council's long term plan hearing this week.

She showed a short video recorded from a camera on her cycle helmet, of a typical ride across the bridge one day on the way to work.



Councillors cringed as they watched trucks pass close to the cyclist and cars nearly crossing the double yellow centre line to over take the rider.

A scene showed a bus passing across the front of the cyclist to turn into Farndon Rd. Dr Symonds is then caught in the middle with a car passing her on the left to turn into Ruahapia Rd and a truck on her right travelling towards Hastings on Pakowhai Rd.

Dr Symonds commended the council for its work on building the iWay cycle network and the regional effort on the Hawke's Bay Trails for cyclists. But those cycle ways had gates which slowed the ride and her road bike was not a good match for the limestone pathways.

As a result she cycled along a road route, off the main highways, connecting to the busier Pakowhai Rd at Chesterhope bridge.

"I know the council has lots of pressure on it at the moment ... but if the council could do something about this and put it in the long term plan, that would be good."

Dr Symonds said if the council did not have a budget to add a cycle clip on bridge perhaps it could put in signs to make motorists aware they must share the bridge with cyclists.

The council was confident its application to the government to extend its iWay funding for cycling would be approved which would provide a budget to build a clip on cycle lane within the next three years over Chesterhope bridge.

Dr Symonds said she was happy to hear the council "was going to make changes" to improve safety for cyclists.

"I might not be living in Hawke's Bay in three years' time but it will be something good for other people.

"I think more people will definitely want to ride to the hospital from work but the fact is at the moment the bridge is a busy place and people are scared of the traffic."