“Take the lane, you have every right to be there” was one of the main messages to a group of cyclists in a road safety workshop yesterday.

Fulton Hogan provided a truck and trailer for road safety sessions hosted at Alexandra’s Molyneux Park on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Central Otago District Council (CODC) road safety advisor Chris Foggin (Foggie) was happy with the turnout of 14 cyclists from Bumz on Bikez, a group based in Central.

They attended at 12.15pm after 11 Alexandra Primary School Year 7 and 8 students participated in the first workshop.

Everyone had a turn climbing into the truck's cab, to check out what they could and couldn't see in the mirrors around the vehicle. 

Alexandra cyclist Yvonne Kidd experienced the view of a truck driver and saw the blind spots missed by the truck’s mirrors. PHOTO: The Central App

Share the Road workshop lead Kelvin Aris Kelvin explained how the truck's left-hand side is “unmistakably the blind zone”, and the driver can barely see cyclists down this side. PHOTO: The Central APP

The free workshops were supported by ‘Share the Road NZ’, held during national Road Safety Week.

Participants could ask questions at the end, and topics such as biking over the Clyde and Alexandra bridges, bike lane etiquette, navigating round-abouts and left turning corners were covered.

The workshop gave people insights into how to be safe around heavy vehicles, particularly the more vulnerable road users such as cyclists, walkers or horse riders.

‘Wheels Up’ is a new campaign to help Central Otago residents become more road savvy, which was funded through Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency, initiated by the Central Otago District Council (CODC), and led by CODC road safety advisor Foggie.

Foggie said learning about heavy vehicle blind zones, and how to safely share the road was important for everyone including truck drivers and vulnerable road users such as cyclists, horse riders or walkers. 

Today (Wednesday May 22) more students from Alexandra Primary School and operations managers from local companies Trail Journeys and NZ Bike Trails are attending workshops. 

Kelvin said he had been delivering the workshops since 2019 and he loved his job as he got to travel around beautiful locations and meet a wide range of people from school students, to truck drivers, mountain bikers and retirees.

Bumz on Bikez meet up for bike rides several times a week, and in the summer months as many as 30 people regularly attend.

Organiser Gaynor said they often visit local cafes after their rides and they all enjoy staying fit and being social.

Chris Foggin (Foggie), well known cycling advocate and CODC road safety advisor. PHOTO: Supplied 

To find out more email [email protected]

Stay tuned to The Central App for an interview with Foggie on The Outlet podcast this Friday, May 24.