Nelson the cycling capital of New Zealand

Nelson city can now claim to be the cycling capital of the country, with 10.4 per cent of its population now getting on their bikes to cycle to work or education.

Delving deeper into the 2023 census data, 3,516 people cycle to work or education, which is split between 1,290 people cycling to school or other education, and 2,226 cycling to work. Since the 2018 census, 606 more people now cycle to work.

Peter Olorenshaw from the Nelson Sustainable Transport Strategy Group says it is little wonder Nelson is the cycling capital with its good weather and safe cycling along the Railway Reserve. The latter is especially useful for students cycling to schools as a number of schools back onto the reserve.

Rather than call himself a cyclist, which he considers a label, he says he cycles when it makes sense to cycle. That’s part of the group’s aim for sustainable transport that includes reducing the use of fossil fuels, lessening congestion on the roads and improving air quality for better health.

“I’m actually a closet petrol head and love the sound of a Ducati and the sound of a well-tuned V8. But I just think, my God, it’s all those fossil fuels. I bike when it makes sense, but if it’s raining, I’ll take the car or if I have a big load to pick up. I don’t think you need to be a cycling purist.”

Nelson has a long way to go to match cities in the Netherlands where up to 54 per cent of the population cycle because it “just makes sense for ordinary people to get around on a bike” or take public transport.

“The Netherlands doesn’t have its high cycling rates because there are all these lycra-wearing aficionados. It’s just that it makes sense for ordinary people to get around on a bike. They don’t have to worry about parking. It’s pleasant and it’s cheap and all those things, and that’s the way I think it should be.”

Though Nelson is doing well in the cycling statistics, Peter says “we have a long way to go still.”

While 10.4 per cent of the city’s population cycled, another 13.1 per cent walked or jogged to work or education, placing it third in the country behind Wellington and Dunedin. Four per cent of Nelsonians used public transport to get to work or education.

NCC group manager infrastructure, Alec Louverdis, says council has continued to improve safety for cyclists in Nelson, with projects such as lighting the Railway Reserve, Streets for People in South Nelson, Saltwater Creek foot bridge replacement, Quarantine Rd foot bridge installation, Maitai shared path way along Domett St and Victory roundabout upgrade as major expenditure and key standouts.