Cycle safe: Tolerant attitude to cyclists needed, says top triathlete

Terenzo Bozzone says the Pacific Coast Highway has wider, safer road shoulders. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Bike-riding in Auckland is more dangerous than in Los Angeles and our cycle lanes need to be better maintained, says Bozzone

Cycling in Auckland is more dangerous than cycling in Los Angeles, and Kiwis need to develop more tolerant attitudes to cyclists, professional triathlete Terenzo Bozzone says.

Auckland City's cycle lanes also need to be better maintained, he said.

This time last year Bozzone was injured in a crash on the North Shore when a motorist opened a car door in front of him.

Bozzone hit the road hard. His bike was wrecked and could not be repaired in time for a race, and a delayed concussion that wasn't initially diagnosed ultimately put him out of action for months.

Bozzone, who spends much of his time based in America training on Californian roads, said he felt safer there than he does in Auckland.

"There are times where Auckland is really good to ride a bike and there are times when I feel really unsettled on the road," he said.

"I would compare it to being worse than cycling around Los Angeles, where I spend the winters."

Bozzone mainly cycles on rural roads which are better for cycling because of the lower traffic volumes, but also more dangerous due to the lack of shoulders.

"I ride out to Piha often and it is just a beautiful ride on great roads. But if a car is coming up behind you at 140km/h and is not prepared to slow down it can get a bit scary."

Auckland City had plenty of cycle lanes but they were not well maintained, he said.

"There seem to be a lot of bike lanes around but the one thing people don't notice is how much glass and debris ends up inside those bike lanes. It's great that we have them but, especially over the festive season where there is a lot of glass on the road, it almost makes it [impossible] to ride in those bike lanes."

More cycle-friendly roads and more tolerant motorist behaviour would make New Zealand a better country, he said. "It will create a better life for everyone and a better country to bring up kids."

Thousands of cars passed him every day on California's Pacific Coast Highway, however the wider road shoulders meant it was relatively safe compared to many New Zealand roads.

"In saying that, I know of fatal accidents involving cyclists all over the world. It is not just New Zealand."

Kiwi motorists were often reluctant to slow down to wait for the right opportunity to pass, he said.

"I can see it from both sides because I am a cyclist and a road user. I don't think I've ever been affected by cycling groups out on the road when I am driving. But I understand how a motorist might get frustrated by some things cyclists do.

"Not all people cycle and that is not a problem. But you have people who don't understand it and are prepared to run you off the road or scare you."

Bozzone said the motorist who wiped him out was a cyclist himself.

"It was a momentary lapse of judgment where he looked, then reached for a briefcase then opened his car door."

• Read more stories in our Cycle Safe series here.