Friday, 26 June 2009

Biking to work in Auckland traffic

Traffic in Auckland is ..how to put it…different! First of all, it’s busy. From 630 till 930 and from 1500 till 1900 more cars are standing still than moving. Auckland is blocked! Not enough motorways for the amount of cars. It can easily take you over an hour to get from one part of Auckland to the other. After 1 week of driving to work, Middlemore hospital is 20 km away from Mt Albert, being frustrated, sitting in a car, wasting my time, I decided to pick up my old Dutch habit: biking!

I have been warned several times by family, colleagues and friends how dangerous it is to bike in Auckland. And I must admit it is! The main reason: no cycle paths. Oh, they are building cycle paths, but they are on the main road (so big trucks still pass you very closely) and they just stop all of a sudden. So when you’re happily biking along one of these new biking paths you wouldn’t be surprised to see a sign saying ’cycle path ends’, leaving you to stop, look around to find out where you can continue biking. And by the way, cycle paths and footpaths are sometimes one and the same thing: another sign saying: ‘share with care’..;-) With enough visibility material on back pack, around ankles, on coat etc, big flashy lights front and back, I found my way to the hospital. After doing this a few times I found myself a reasonably quiet route, without too much danger.The best part of my ride is the old Mangere bridge. Because of a new motorway this bridge is closed off for normal traffic and used by people who fish off the bridge from dusk till dawn. So when I pass them around 7 in the morning, they enjoy, just like myself the beautiful sunrise over the city and when I come back at 5 in the afternoon, they are still there, enjoying the sunset over the sea, with a fresh sea breeze.

 

3 comments:

  1. Great to see this blog. Added your a to ours and will check it regulary!

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  2. Nice Blog! I have recently to Auckland during my NZ tour, to save time I have hired car for visiting various places in and around Auckland.

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  3. Nowadays, due to high traffic jam and rough driving many of us have been warned by family members. In Auckland there are many few road left for cycling.

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