Brook Sabin proposed a dedicated path that stops at the top of New Zealand and ends at the bottom. But how long would that take?

OPINION: I was left speechless when I read travel journalist Brook Sabin's recent column calling for cycling to be banned on New Zealand's main highways.

Sabin does not understand what cycling in New Zealand actually means.

He was angered by two round-the-world cyclists, who basically said that many Kiwis were aggressive drivers. His point was that New Zealand's roads are not made for cycling, they are just not good enough, so the problem can be solved by building more bicycle lanes but until then, we just have to "crack down on" and "ban" cyclists.

I have been doing cycle touring for years. Over 25,000 kilometres in total on four continents, 6,000km of which was in New Zealand. Touring cyclists do it for different reasons and choose different routes, but believe me, no cyclist likes the noise and gases of heavy traffic passing by. Busy roads are usually taken when no other option exists.

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New Zealand has done a fantastic job building off-road cycling trails. Some are specialised mountain bike trails that may not be suitable for cycle touring, others are perfect for touring (for example former railways turned into cycling trails) and others are in between, like the Timber trail.

The problem is this: how do you travel in between the trails? Sometimes smaller, less busy roads exist but at other times, cycling along a stretch of a busier road could be the only option. When you are on a cycling trip for a week or ten, you normally don't have a car following you. Renting one from a road junction in the middle of nowhere to another junction in the middle of nowhere is not an option either.

In many countries, buses and trains are a solution. But here in New Zealand, there are not many passenger trains. Even then, I have heard some complaints about the design of the bicycle racks on the Auckland to Wellington train, for example - why bikes don't travel inside the luggage compartment as everywhere else in the world is a mystery.

Buses travel to more places than trains but putting your bike on an Intercity bus can be a surreal experience. According to Intercity rules, bikes cannot be carried on double-decker buses at all (not enough luggage space). This is quite a restriction. For example, if you want to take your bike to Opotiki or Gisborne to cycle the connecting cycle trails or around beautiful East Cape, you can't use the bus as Intercity uses only double-deckers on that route.

Then even if your bus is a single-decker, Intercity does not guarantee that they will carry your bike. You have to buy a ticket, then call them in advance to let the driver know and plan space for your bike. But, even then there are no guarantees.

I once arrived at Auckland airport from the South Island with my bike in a box (Intercity prefers to carry your bike packed in a box). I had booked a ticket on the bus to Hamilton and had called to "reserve" space for the bike. Then a minivan with a trailer shows up instead of the normal large bus. Nobody had called to warn me of the change, the driver did not seem to care at all about my bicycle. I had options - sleep at the airport and wait for the next day's bus or bike at night to Hamilton. What would happen if I was travelling in the opposite direction and had a lot more to lose - missed flights etc?

DOMINION POST/STUFF Four journalists battle the early morning commute on various means of transport to see which mode is faster.

Intercity basically has a monopoly on bus travel in New Zealand. Their services play a major social role already. I have suggested to them to install external bike racks on their buses - the same way that cars, campervans and some city buses carry bikes. I am not aware of any plans for improving the situation.

Sabin proposed a dedicated path that starts at the top of New Zealand and ends at the bottom. But how long would that take? Infrastructure construction is generally a slow affair. And if you "crack down on cyclists" now, there may not be any cyclists to use the cycle trails when they are ready in 10, 20 or 50 years. The negative attitude towards cycling will only get worse locally and tourists will avoid New Zealand as a cycling destination.

It all comes down to cycling culture, whether it is cycle touring or city cycling. Cars are kings in New Zealand, even in flat cities like Hamilton. Cycling lanes often disappear in the middle of a road or are covered in gravel, branches and other obstacles. Parked drivers often open their doors into cycling lanes without looking back - cyclists are doored and injured or killed this way every year.

We touring cyclists like to keep in touch, share stories and inspire each other. I know many Kiwis who are touring cyclists. Some of them are real adventurers - they cycle on roads in the Himalayas, Andes, Africa. But most of them have told me they would never cycle in New Zealand roads. Some, but not all, say Kiwis simply drive too aggressively.

If cycling culture improves, this would lead to improvements in infrastructure, traffic, public health, air quality, you name it. It has been done in many places - from the Netherlands to Colombia.

It is a matter of policy and work that needs to be done. But just like aggressive driving, aggressive discourse is part of the problem rather than part of the solution.