A Short Story of Hope, Hills, and Handlebars

This street installation makes it easy to see how many bikes can be parked in the space of single car park.

Cycling in Gisborne

I’ve lived in New Zealand for 22 years, most of them in Auckland, and before that in the Netherlands and France. Now, you might wonder why that matters. Hang in there, we’ll get to that.

After visiting Gisborne regularly over a seven year period, my partner and I finally made the move last year. We knew we wanted to leave Auckland… it just took us 21 years to do it. Our main requirement? A coastal town on the North Island where you could get around by bike.

In Auckland, I cycled. But to call it cycling is rather generous. It was more of a sport involving hills, honking, and lots of deodorant. With the slow progress of cycling infrastructure and the increase of cars on the road, it was starting to feel less like transport and more like combat training.

Gisborne, in contrast, is flat. It’s compact. The roads are wide. Some even have cycle lanes, though let’s be honest, they’re the kind where you develop a sixth sense for opening car doors. You’re never fully relaxed.

A cycle-friendly (left to right) roundabout, footpath kerb, and bus station.

The Missing Crossings

But for someone starting out, especially families or anyone walking, scooting, or using a mobility device, Gisborne isn’t exactly welcoming. The big road corridors, free of pedestrian crossings, carve up our city and result in a disconnect between our homes and our destinations: the city centre, services, beaches, parks, friends, workplaces and schools.

Take Rutene Road. Two kilometres long and not a single pedestrian crossing. Te Wharau School, Ilminster Intermediate, Dunblane Village and Kaiti Mall are all nearby. Good luck trying to cross safely. Same with Awapuni Road... great beach, no safe way to walk there. Or Ormond Road, where you're expected to detour 20 minutes to the Ballance Street crossing just to get to the other side in one piece. Busy Wainui Road—near the popular shops level with Harris street—has no zebra crossing. And Wi Pere, Lytton etc etc…

The Cost of Convenience

We live in a city where most families need two cars, not because they want to, but because it’s the only safe option. But imagine ditching one car because walking or cycling became safe, normal, and convenient. That's money saved on fuel, maintenance, and insurance, plus a little more sanity during school runs.

And here's a bonus: zebra crossings and safe infrastructure make drivers more considerate too. They remind us that other humans exist, small ones on scooters, older ones with walkers, tired ones just trying to get home.

Not All Projects Are Created Equal... and that’s OK

Now, if you’ve been following the Grey Street saga, you might be thinking: “Cycling infrastructure? We tried that. Look how that went.” Fair enough. Even as someone who cycles, I’ll admit: that project wasn’t ideal. The intention might have been good, but the execution left too many scratching their heads, including cyclists.

Here’s the thing though: one bumpy rollout doesn’t mean we abandon the whole idea of improving how we move around our city. It just means we need to do better. We involve more locals early on, including those who cycle, those who drive, and those who do both. We think carefully about how designs work in practice, not just on paper. And we learn from places that have done this well, including other NZ towns.

We all want the same things: safe roads, less congestion, healthier communities, and a town where our kids can walk or ride to school without us worrying. If we get that right, the benefits aren’t just for the cyclists, they’re for everyone.

From Amsterdam to Paris… to Christchurch

The Netherlands didn’t become a cycling paradise overnight. In the 1970s, after decades of prioritising cars, protests erupted following tragic road deaths, many involving children. Combine that with the oil crisis, and the Dutch began rethinking the car-first model.

Fast forward to Paris, 1995. I moved to Paris just before the start of a national rail and local metro strike which brought the city to a standstill.  It was mayhem. Cars were parked and left for weeks in places you can’t imagine you could park a car. People walked, dusted off old bicyclettes, or resigned like only the French can... "Laissez faire". For 22 days, in the lead up to Christmas, Parisians found out what life without public transport (and with way too many cars) looked like. And surprise: many realised that cycling was faster, more reliable, and oddly liberating. Investment followed. And continues to this day.

purpose-built cycle-way rubbish bins

And right here in Aotearoa, we have Christchurch, now considered the leading city in New Zealand for active transport. Following the 2011 earthquake, the city was given a rare opportunity: a clean slate to redesign its transport network. And they used it. Instead of rebuilding around cars, Christchurch invested in public transport, separated cycle-ways, pedestrian-friendly design, and smarter urban connections. It has paid off. Not just in bike use, but in liveability, health, and city resilience.

What Can We Do Right Now?

Local elections are coming up. That means we’ll have the chance to shape the kind of city we live in, not just through our votes, but by asking candidates the right questions. If the idea of a safer, healthier, more connected Gisborne inspires you, here are some questions you could ask at Meet the Candidates events (or email them directly to candidates if you are not able to make one of the events):

1. Safe Crossings: What is your plan to make it safer for people to walk, cycle, or use mobility scooters, especially on roads connecting neighbourhoods with schools and shops but no pedestrian crossings?

2. Active Transport: Do you support investment in cycling and walking infrastructure, so families have a genuine alternative to needing two cars?

3. Learning from Others: Christchurch rebuilt with cycling at its heart after the earthquake, and is now NZ’s leading cycle city. What lessons from Christchurch (or other towns) would you apply here in Gisborne?

4. Grey Street: How will you ensure that future projects involve locals from the start so designs work for both cyclists and drivers?

5. Long-Term Vision: Where do you see Gisborne in 10 years’ time? A city locked into car dependence, or one where people of all ages can safely and confidently walk or cycle to school, shops, work and the beach?

These conversations matter. They signal to candidates that this isn’t a “cyclists versus drivers” issue. It’s about building a city where everyone can move safely, affordably, and connect with the city in a way you can’t from behind a windscreen.

Gisborne’s Potential

Gisborne already has the ingredients: flat terrain, manageable size, mild weather. With a little investment and vision, we could become New Zealand’s most cycle-friendly city, and the healthiest, happiest, and most connected, too.

Let’s Not Let This Slip Past

Whether you ride a bike, drive a car, or walk your dog, we all benefit from safer, better-designed streets. The question is: do we wait for a crisis to force our hand, or do we start building a city we can all enjoy now? It’s our move.

Words and photos by Silvia Spieksma