78-year-old Mohan Ori and a group of over 60s from the Never2old programme get instructions on how to ride an e-bike.

Retiree Mohan Ori can't stop telling his friends about his first ride on an electric bike.

The 78-year-old tried out the e-bike as part of a cycle training day run by Auckland Transport (AT) and the Never2old programme which encourages over-60s to be active.

"It was just terrific," Ori said. "I suggest people should go somewhere like the Domain and practice with no traffic before going out on the roads. Just give it a go."

Auckland Transport The over 60s did a few loops around the fountain in Auckland's Domain before venturing out onto the road.

It's the sort of attitude AT would like to cultivate in a lot more Aucklanders.

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The e-bike lessons for over 60s are part of the agency's busy programme of learn to ride sessions and cycling events to encourage the city's residents out on two wheels.

JASON DORDAY/FAIRFAX NZ The new Nelson St cycleway is proving popular, with 1500 cycle movements on the New Year holiday Monday alone.

Its goal is a 30 per cent increase in the number of bike journeys by 2019, walking and cycling manager Kathryn King said.

Cycling is on the rise in Auckland, but it remains a niche mode of transport.

Latest figures from nine counters situated around the city show there were 947,800 cycle trips in 2015, up 7.4 per cent on the year before.

In comparison Aucklanders take around 80 million trips on public transport every year.

Cyclist movements in December were up 20 per cent on December 2014.

In a survey released in October 11 per cent of Aucklanders said they cycled at least once a week, compared with 6 per cent in the prior 12 months, while the proportion who reported doing any cycling at all rose to 27 per cent from 20 per cent the previous year.

Those most likely to be using pedal power are young to middle aged European men, and AT's research has indicated that the "MAMIL" image - middle-aged men in lycra - may be putting off other potential cyclists, particularly women.

It's also clear that the main reason people don't get on their bikes is concern about safety on Auckland's congested roads.

Thus the agency in conjunction with the national transport authorities are spending $200 million on cycleways over the next three years.

AT hopes new facilities such as the $13 million Nelson St cycleway, including the bright magenta "Lightpath" utilising the old Nelson St motorway offramp, will give more people the confidence to try cycling.

The Nelson St cycleway is proving popular, with 1500 cycle movements on the New Year holiday Monday alone.

The Never2old group started out giving their their e-bikes a go around the fountain in the Auckland Domain, and once they'd got the hang of it they ventured out onto the road with other traffic.

An e-bike has a throttle on the handlebars which controls a small motor attached to the wheel making pedalling a lot easier.

While it was the first time Ori had used an electric bike, he is already a regular cyclist.

"I ride down by the waterfront and there are so many things I see that I wouldn't have seen if I was driving," he said.

Initiatives such as the Never2old e-bike session is part of AT's programme to encourage people back onto a bike.

"For some people who have not been on a bike since they were a child, our free cycle training courses give them the skills and confidence to try it again," AT's King said.