30 is the new 50.

This is a submission that I made to the Wellington City Council supporting lowering the vehicle speeds in the Inner city. 

You can make a submission too. The deadline for feedback is 5pm on Friday 16 July. Go to http://wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/publicinput/2010-06lowerspeed.html and fill out the online submission form. State that you support the proposed changes. And at the end you can have a little rant about why you think it is important. Here’s my rant:

I love cycling. I am not a ‘cyclist’, I am just an everyday New Zealander who recognizes that it is cheaper, healthier and better for the environment. Not to mention thrilling in a Wellington gale!

The more I cycle to get around, the better it is for my health (and because there is zero pollution) the health of people in our city.

When Wellingtonians choose to cycle, they are  saving our community a lot of money down the track. We will spend less dealing with respiratory illness from pollution, avoidable ETS costs, millions in roading upgrade and maintenance costs. We have to think about how we are going to get around our city in the future as the oil prices rise, signaling the end of cheap supply of oil.

Every time our council invests in safer roads for cyclists it is both an ethical and economically responsible decision. But the Council that fully backs and resources a progressive cycling strategy for Wellington will leave a legacy that will be celebrated for generations to come.  

And of course, the more money cyclists save on transport and health costs, the more money they have to invest in the local economy.

Not only will 30kms per hour in the City be safer for pedestrians and cyclists, it will have the added co-benefits of lowering the cities carbon emissions (less are emitted, the slower the speeds) which will bode well for achieving carbon neutrality as well as making it a quieter, more pleasant place to work, shop and visit.

Anything we can do to improve the quality of cyclists experience and safety will be a win-win-win, win-win for Wellington.