Advocates say our low cycling participation rate is 'wake-up call' for New Zealand

Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage for most Kiwi kids but it seems something changes as we grow older.

At a time when cycleways are becoming key to transport, New Zealand has scored low in a survey of how many of us actually participate in cycling.

Our main cities are filled with cycleways and plenty of cyclists who know how to ride. Most from a young age.

A majority of Kiwis - around eight out of 10 - know how to ride a bike. That's more than the global average according to the latest Ipsos Global Advisor study.

"It's a really encouraging number. New Zealanders love riding bikes but they need more safe and attractive places to bike more often," said Cycling Action Network (CAN) project manager Patrick Morgan.

These days Christchurch's Manchester Street is jammed with cars and buses. Seventy years ago the same corner was very different and two-wheelers were the transport mode of choice.

So while a majority of us know how to ride a bike the survey's found only 18 percent of us actually do on a regular basis. That's at least once a week and well behind the global average of 35 percent.

"That's no surprise, this is a wake-up call for New Zealand, we know that more people on bikes is great for health, for safety, for climate and making our cities work better," Morgan said.

Cyclists Newshub spoke to spent a varied amount of time on their bikes.

"Once every few months go on a bike ride," one said.

"Nowadays I've got an e-bike so I'm on it every day," another said.

Half of the 1000 people sampled also felt cycling can be dangerous which is a factor for picking other modes of transport.

"Cycling is safe, cycling in heavy traffic is dangerous. That's why we need more bike lanes," Morgan said.

To encourage the majority of us who know how to ride to start pushing pedals again.