I Love Riding in the City
NAME: Rachel Service
LOCATION: Wellington, New Zealand
OCCUPATION: PR/Creative
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
At the moment I have just returned from living in Europe back to my home city of Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand doesn’t have such a big bike culture as Europe but it is growing.
Unfortunately New Zealand doesn’t have the history of cycling so much as Europe or other countries, so I sense that both drivers and riders are sometimes unsure as how to navigate the road. Certainly, we have a long way to go in terms of giving cyclists enough room and respecting them!
Wellington is known for its hills and windy weather—so just getting from A to B can be a workout in itself! The crew I ride with, Dame Truth, have shown me some neat hills to bomb and just getting up them is a work out and a half.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
I loved riding in Berlin, Germany because they have such a rich bike culture there. The bike lanes are guarded with police-like authority by the cyclists—heaven forbid a pedestrian should walk onto a cycle lane!
One time I got hit by a car in Berlin—I wasn’t looking the right way and I was completely in the wrong—but the car stopped in the middle of the motorway to check I was OK. They have the culture of giving cyclists space, which was something I had never encountered before.
Riding in Berlin in the summer is like nothing else—everyone is on bikes. And it doesn’t matter what kind of ride you are rocking, if it has two wheels and is remotely functional, it’s game!
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