Rapidly reducing oil reliance: Quick wins in active transport

The escalating conflict in the Middle East has caused a spike in fuel prices and urgent concern about energy security. NZ’s fuel supply is highly vulnerable to disruption.¹ The recently announced Fuel Response Plan mainly involves close monitoring at phases 1 and 2, with supply-side intervention at phases 3 and 4. The fuel plan largely misses opportunities to reduce demand for fossil fuels. Road transport is the largest single source of fossil fuel use in NZ.² One component of the response should be to create practical alternatives to driving to reduce fuel demand by households in towns and cities. We outline three approaches to supporting walking and cycling, which can be implemented rapidly. These measures should be implemented alongside other steps to reduce driving, such as temporarily removing public transport fares. 

Neighbourhood-level changes to make walking and cycling easy

Neighbourhood-level changes to street space can rapidly shift how people get around locally. Low-traffic neighbourhoods use affordable infrastructure such as planter boxes or bollards to create calm streets which are safe for walking, scootering, biking and wheeling. All parts of the neighbourhood remain accessible to people who need to drive, while increasing walking and biking and reducing driving, road traffic injuries, crime, and air and noise pollution.^3-6 The government has signalled that in-person school attendance is a priority, so these measures are particularly important around schools. 

These approaches were rolled out cheaply and quickly in a number of cities, including in London as part of the Covid-19 response in 2020, leading to more walking and cycling, and less driving.⁷ The Lyall Bay street trial in Wellington demonstrates the kind of attractive, low-cost measures which are already making it safe to walk, bike and scoot to school.

Safe, connected cycleways 

When streets are safe and inviting, most people are willing to bike for at least some trips.⁸ Well-designed, connected bike support can increase cycling and reduce car trips, fuel use and household transport costs.⁹ International experience shows these shifts happen quickly, particularly when lanes feel safe for people of all ages and abilities.¹⁰ To be effective, bike lanes need physical separation from motor traffic on busy roads, continuous routes rather than short fragments, and safe intersections.¹¹

Many cities implemented pop-up cycleways as part of their response to Covid-19.^11.12  Cities around the world, including Bogotá, Colombia and Berlin, Germany, used creative, cheap measures such as tape and road cones to very rapidly scale up their bike networks. Other cities accelerated the implementation of planned cycleway programmes.¹² A review of 14 cities which added bike networks during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic noted that the crisis situation led to significantly increased public support for reallocating street space, with strong support for rapid action.¹²

Getting people on bikes 

Reducing transport costs while also reducing the need to drive is a win-win. Free bike and e-bike schemes have been shown to reduce car trips and save fuel. A review of free bike initiatives across the UK¹³ found they reduced car use, with participants shifting to make an average of a quarter of all trips by bike. Free bike schemes focused on people who would not be able to afford bikes and supported social inclusion by enabling people to get to school, work and green spaces in their communities more easily. Health wins included increased physical activity, time outdoors and social connectedness. These schemes delivered an average benefit of £11.80 (NZ$27.30) for every £1 (NZ$2.30) invested.¹³ 

Closer to home, recent e-bike programmes in Māngere, Auckland¹⁴ and Wainuiomata, Wellington¹⁵ demonstrate that e-biking can thrive in communities with very low rates of cycling. 

Free bike schemes can be set up quickly. In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns about transmission drove essential workers away from public transport towards single-occupancy cars. Cities such as Colorado, USA^16,17 and Bogotá, Colombia, responded by providing essential workers directly with free e-bikes. After the first three months of the Colorado programme, e-bikes were participants’ most-frequently used mode of travel.¹⁶ 

Many people own a bike which they do not currently ride.¹⁸ Existing cycle skills training for adults could be expanded to support more people to start biking. Expanding support for community organisations which fix up bikes, as Auckland Transport has done, would also be a fast, cost-effective way to help people cycle. 

Author details

Dr Emma Osborne,  Dr Alice Miller, Dr Edward Randal, Assoc Prof Caroline Shaw

Department of Public Health, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke | University of Otago, Wellington

Disclosure statement

Emma Osborne has previously been a trustee of EkeRua ReBicycle Charitable Trust and a cycling skills instructor for Pedal Ready (Greater Wellington Regional Council). Emma has previously received research funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency. 

Caroline Shaw has received research funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the New Zealand Transport Agency.