Editorial: Bike Wise a case of self preservation

As Bike Wise Month kicked off around New Zealand today a trial currently running in Auckland serves as a reminder of the need for cyclists and motorists to take extra care around each other.

The tragic accident which claimed the life of Jane Bishop, a British nurse, makes grim reading.

Ms Bishop was cycling home from work between slow-moving traffic and parked cars when her bicycle went under a slow-moving tip truck. She died at the scene.

The police say a man parked on Tamaki Drive who opened his car door and stepped out on to the road moments before the accident, caused her to go under the truck. He has been charged with careless use of a motor vehicle causing death.

This 2010 accident occurred in a week when four other cyclists died, three mown down by an errant driver, while a young Hawke's Bay schoolboy training for IronMaori was also seriously injured.

Whatever the rights and wrongs in the Auckland incident - and you will note that I have called it a "tragic accident" - it highlights the need for motorists and cyclists to have heightened awareness of each others possible actions in built-up areas.

Cyclists need to be on red alert for car doors, sudden pull outs from parking spaces, pedestrians coming from between cars to wander on to the road and motorists trying to make turns in busy traffic who may not see them. And probably more besides.

The cyclist interested in self preservation will not ride like an Olympian hunched over their aerobars in situations like this. They will sit up, cruise along, eyes focused and scanning, giving all vehicles - mobile and static - a wide berth. They will wait for the open roads to test their legs, enjoy the fresh air and freedom that cycling offers.

Most long term cyclists will have horror stories about near misses or collisions. But the risks can be minimised.

Having been knocked off my bike by a car leaving an intersection in Auckland several years ago, I always look for eye contact with a driver, check for the danger signs like he/she looking in the opposite direction from where I am coming for a lengthy period, and am not shy of giving them a friendly yell to say, "Hi, I'm coming through".

Recently while riding around Lake Taupo I could have kissed a passing truck so close was it.

Whose fault was that? Mine. I was tired, lost concentration on a narrow stretch of road, changed my line and went too close to the white cycle line. It was a scary reminder of how it can all go so quickly wrong.

Unlike Ms Bishop I carried on along the road, as did the truck driver.

Take care out there people. Enjoy Bike Wise Month. Take responsibility for your safety.

This year is the 10th anniversary of Bike Wise. Bike Wise Month sees hundreds of cycling events take place around New Zealand, all with the goal of getting Kiwis onto their bicycles. Check www.bikewise.co.nz for more information and to see what's happening in your local area, or go to www.facebook.com/bikewise or the Twitter feed www.twitter.com/bikewisenz