Young Auckland, North Shore cyclist hit three times by angry drivers

A teenage cyclist fell off his bike again on Friday night on Auckland’s North Shore, the third time off the road in two years.

Elliott Henk, 18, was biking from a friend’s house in Takapuna to his house in Forrest Hill along Lake Pupuke Drive around midnight when a white car sped up behind him.

The occupants were yelling at him and the car honking its horn before swerving toward Henk, hitting the handlebars and throwing him onto the track. The car then sped up.

Fortunately, Henk only received cuts and bruises, although his bike was badly damaged.

However, it had left him emotionally shocked.

“It was pretty scary, but to be honest, it’s not entirely unusual,” Henk told the Herald on Sunday.

Henk is a keen cyclist and rides the streets of the North Shore several times a day as his main form of transportation and, as always, when he rides at night he wears reflective gear and rides with lights.

But almost every time he hits the road he experiences some form of assault.

It’s usually a few honks from drivers or yelling out the window, but two angry motorists have pulled it off the road twice, once it ended up in a ravine.

Her parents, Mandy and Chris, also ride the North Shore regularly and experience similar problems on the roads.

“It usually cuts off, and usually when there is a lot of traffic and you can tell the drivers are getting a little upset,” said Chris.

“But the difference is that when you are cycling you are very vulnerable.”

Chris said the problems were a combination of a small group of angry motorists and poor cycling infrastructure.

There was also a general lack of awareness when it came to things like parking and riding in bike lanes.

“Auckland transport wants more people on bikes, and in the bull run there were so many people on bikes that you can see when it’s safe, people will.”

AT has the goal of building 10 km of bike lanes per year. However, it has failed to achieve that goal in the past four years.

In 2019/2020 only 6 km were built, with some projects delayed due to Covid-19.

For the current financial year, with financial constraints induced by Covid-19, the target has been lowered to 4 km.

Meanwhile, the number of people on bicycles has continued to grow steadily.

Bike Auckland president and spokesperson Barbara Cuthbert said that shows how interested people were in cycling.

“Even though there has been an infrastructure deficit, the number of people cycling has increased by 16% in the last three years. Not much has changed, but people are brave and determined enough and see the value of riding a bicycle.

“If we invest in secure infrastructure on a large scale throughout the city, we will continue to see great acceptance.”

As the number of cyclists increased, Cuthbert said that driver behavior had improved tremendously.

However, like Henk, he regularly heard cases of severe assault.

“It’s really a constant and it hasn’t disappeared, despite everything else. There are no hard and fast rules, but it seems to be a man on man thing.

“And sometimes it can also come from the rider’s side, but the reality is that those who ride bikes are much more vulnerable.”

AT spokesman Mark Hannan said that drivers’ aggressiveness towards bicyclists was more of a police matter because they dealt with behavior on the road.

“We encourage all road users to take care of each other and be considerate of each other on the road.

“If a cyclist has a problem with a driver, he should report it to the police.”

Several projects underway on the North Shore include biking elements, the main one being the Northcote Safe Bike Route which runs from the Taharoto Rd / Northcote Rd intersection near Smales Farm, past Onewa Domain, Northcote stores and to Northcote Pt.

This would create a 5.2 km safe route for pedestrians and people on bicycles. Construction began in late 2019 and will be completed early next year, Hannan said.

Police have been contacted for comment.