An award-winning issue ????

Kia ora Biker whānau,

What a time of excitement and breakthrough as we see significant progress in the transport space thanks to some?smart thinking by the Minister?and his wider team. Safer neighbourhoods and equal access to public transport makes our hearts sing. Stay safe out there.?

And the Winner is...

Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch Mayor and last year's winner), Campbell Barry (Lower Hutt Mayor and this year's winner) and Cleve Cameron (Founder Big Street Bikers/Locky Dock).

We loved the response to our bright and buzzy presence at the Local Government Conference this year and were even more proud to award the Breakthrough Bike City of the Year Award to Lower Hutt.?

Awarded to cities or towns who have created great initiatives and actions which enable more people to ride more often, last year it was Christchurch.?

In 2022 Mayor Campbell Barry?had this to say:

“Cycling in the Hutt is becoming more and more common, and we want to see it increase. Getting more people cycling through the city is key to addressing climate change, creating healthier communities, and reducing congestion. This is a key focus and priority for the Council.”

Hutt City have released an Integrated Transport Strategy with sustainable transport and net zero emissions targets. They have completed a major part of the Beltway cycleway (with more to come) and began construction of Tupua Horo Nuku (a cycle way from the Eastern Bays to Eastbourne) which connects to one of Aotearoa's Great Rides - the Remutaka Cycle Trail. In a few years’ time Te Ara Tupua will connect Wellington to Hutt City by bike – reducing congestion on the highway and changing the lives of regular commuters.?

?They’ve matched infrastructure with great community bike initiatives Free Ride, which provides free recycled bikes to people that need them, and DirtsKool, which provides mountain bike lessons for school students at Waiu Park in Wainuiomata.

Candidate Commitment to Biking

Local body elections are nearly upon us (are you enrolled to vote?) and we’ve offered heavily discounted advertising space on our Locky Dock network to any local board/councillor or mayoral candidate who signs a commitment to our kaupapa for safer streets, less congestion and lower emissions!?

Available to folk running in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland this is the pledge;

Tory Whanau, who’s running for the Mayorlty in Wellington is onboard and says:

“With cycling, micro-mobility and more climate-friendly transport options becoming more popular than ever, Locky Dock is exactly the sort of innovative solution our city needs. This isn't about cars versus bikes, this is about allowing your friends and whānau to ride across our city safely. I'm excited to see initiatives like this taking our city into the future - and it's time for our Council and candidates to get on board!”

If you know a candidate who may be interested please ask them to email [email protected]?for info and pricing.

Local government is where some real impact can be made to climate response for Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s heartening to see the shift to the?Sustainable Public Transport Framework. We know it’s?achievable?and we’re excited to be part of the solution.?Vote Climate!

A visit to Estonia

Matt, one of our founders was off on his European adventure and also visited our manufacturer, Bikeep in Estonia.?

Estonia and Eastern Europe are well-known in the tech industry as the?next Silicon Valley. Tallinn, the capital a city of 400,000 and host to the most “unicorns” (start-up companies with a value over $1 billion) per capita in the world. It’s barely the size of Christchurch and Locky Docks are on almost every corner. 200+ locations with thousands of people using them every day.?

Reconnecting post pandemic with our Estonian partners Bikeep was massively encouraging.

Sharing what we’ve learnt from our network in NZ, we got a fantastic insight of where the Locky Dock technology is heading. At Bikeep there is a big focus is onIoT?(Internet of Things) and they are working on a lot of new technology like wireless eBike charging. Things that can be expected soon are a new app, a new futuristic Locky Dock design and new products like the Locky Dock Lockers and much, much more.?

It was a fabulous meeting of minds around how micro-mobility can be leveraged for climate innovation on massive scale. An issue that at the opposite ends of the planet we all share.?

Our Locky Docks getting ready to be shipped....

Newtown New Town

Our installers nearly got mobbed by happy cyclists and shoppers when installing the latest Locky Dock in Wellington outside Newtown Countdown.?

We’ve been overwhelmed by so many more Wellingtonians suggesting where they’d like a Locky Dock next as bike theft continues to cause a national headache!?

"A new free?Locky Dock?station was installed outside Newtown Countdown this week. Local bike owner Ben Zwartz said it was a little more complex than locking it to a pole, but felt much safer and “certainly way more stable than the regular rack you’d slot your bike tyre into”.

Interesting reads

The way we shape our streets, makes a huge difference on how we get around. In this article in the National Geographic, Hayden Donell is looking at what effect it has in different parts of our country. "Councillor Tamatha Paul sees evidence of [car] prioritisation every time she goes home. The windy road in Wellington’s Aro Valley where she lives has no footpath, and just three streetlights in the span of a kilometre."

A new study named "The effects of a?subvention scheme for e-bikes on mode share and active mobility"?shows, that after receiving a financial incentive to buy an ebike, people start cycling about 20% more.

In Europe,?Lithuania halved its road deaths?between 2011 and 2021.?Lithuania is a great example of a country that is tackling the problem on multiple fronts: strategic planning, drink-driving, speed, infrastructure and enforcement.

There are a lot of reasons why people bike. Its lots of fun and often faster than a car in the city. This article looks at why we cycle, despite the design of our streets which is often still build for the speeding car.?"Helen King,?communications manager for advocacy group Bike Auckland, isworried that cycling’s dangerous yet dull image?dissuades people from thinking about bikes in terms of the enjoyment of movement, the freedom and agility of not having to think about parking or traffic. “People ride their bikes for the pleasure of it,” she says.