The Christchurch City Council is developing 13 new cycleways connecting the suburbs to the inner city as part of a plan to boost cycle use.
New Zealand Transport Agency spokesman Jim Harland said the cycleways were working.
“There’s been a 21 per cent increase in people using cycling to get into the centre of town since some of the networks have started to be built.”
He hoped funding would continue for cycling initiatives, but one problem was “two-thirds of people are interested to cycle but they’re concerned about the safety’’.
He said new cycleways would separate cyclists from busy roads, helping to raise the confidence of beginners.
“Christchurch residents made it clear they wanted the centre of the city to be a more pedestrian friendly, less car dominated, more compact place.”
Action Bicycle Club spokesman Ken Ching said the Christchurch landscape was almost perfect for cycling.
“Christchurch is really flat and distances aren’t very far, so you can pretty much do all you need to do on a bike relatively quickly.”
Ching said potential cyclists should not be scared to get out their two-wheelers and make the most of Christchurch’s cycleways.
“Just give it a go. You’ll notice even in a couple of days or weeks you’ll feel fitter, it’s good for your health, it really helps the environment.”
Harland said cycling would play a big part in Christchurch’s future.
“As the city fills up again - the centre of the city - then the only way that additional capacity is going to be created is through these cycling networks.”
Kingham said when safe options were in place people would use them.
“What research has clearly shown us is that if you make people feel safe cycling they will often choose to cycle.”
He wanted more government help to make Christchurch a more sustainable city.
“Keep investing… there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a global leader in cycling if we continue to invest.”