Summer Edition

With the warm weather, it’s great to see many more of you out on the bikes getting to and from work, school and sport.

Please follow the road code and use appropriate cycling etiquette, especially in locations with shared users. It’s still important that you wear high viz garments to enhance your visibility to pedestrians as well as vehicle drivers.

Remember the importance of using your bell to alert pedestrians to your presence. 

In January we held the first cycling forum where councillors met with cyclists.

We discussed improvements to the network, which included a priority focus on roads for cyclists and others for vehicles, through to education for young and older cyclists, training and routes. The feedback from this meeting suggests that these meetings will form the basis of what will go out to the region for consultation and assist with a bid for funding from NZTA.

This is an exciting phase of development of a cycling network that gets our cyclists safely across Blenheim. If you wish to be part of this forum, please register via this email: multimodal@marlborough.govt.nz

It has been brought to our attention that cyclists are not using their bells when they are cycling on footpaths. If you are on a footpath and you see a walker, be a cycling hero and ring your bell. While we would prefer you to be using the road, we understand it doesn’t always feel safe to be there.

During winter I ran a competition for cyclists to win a maintenance stand for their bikes.

Competitors had to submit photographs of themselves clad in high viz to promote safe cycling during the winter months. The winners were mother and son Karen and Oscar Savage who had been nominated by Alistair (husband/father). Councillor Brian Dawson, chair of Council’s Assets and Services Committee (on far left) presented the family with their bike stand.

This coming summer we want to see more people out on bikes on our cycle paths and high vis is always recommended to be safe and to be seen, even during the summer months. 

Please note that the Wairau River Access Track running between State Highways 6 and 63 has some full access closures on it for riverbank repairs. These closures are there for the purpose of keeping you safe as well as the contractors. If there’s signage detailing a closed route, it is closed for good reason.

Cyclists should not enter works sites where heavy machinery is being used.

Taylor Pass Road is also CLOSED to all vehicles – including cyclists - during the week between 7.00 am and 5.00 pm until mid-2026. There is ongoing logging extraction during the working week, which means that the Pass is closed to all movements on the road, including cyclists, for safety reasons.

If it says it is closed – it is.

Keep up to date with road closures via Council’s Antenno app – for more information on how to download this go to: links.marlborough.govt.nz/Antenno

Despite recent nationwide suggestions that bike racks on buses cannot be used, your bikes can be taken on our fleet, especially between Blenheim and Picton. We will also be publishing where there are current places for you to park your bike within the CBD and we are currently looking at options for secure parking for touring cyclists too.

Please take care, particularly those on e-bikes, when cycling past schools when children are present particularly when they are being dropped off and collected. Again, a bell is good.

If you have or see a near miss, please report it. There is an easy link in the Cycling and Walking section of Council’s website or visit the Smart Maps page here: www.marlborough.govt.nz/recreation/cycling-and-walking/cycling/report-a-crash-or-near-miss

A serious incident on the cycle network occurred where three individuals were hospitalised. It was found that speed and distance contributed to what was a nasty experience for three of our cycling community. When riding as a group please be mindful of distances between each other.

Ride On, Charlotte