Sustainable Business Network

The Sustainable Business Network helps lead businesses to a more sustainable New Zealand. Check here to find out how their bike versus car trial in Auckland showed the merits of two-wheeled transport.

The test

As part of the launch of SBN’s ‘Bike Now!’ project, supported by NZ Transport Agency, AECOM and Fulton Hogan, SBN decided to test whether bikes really could be a worthwhile alternative to the car in Auckland.

Our IT supplier prompted the test – they’re based in Eden Terrace, just 3.4 km from our office near Britomart in Auckland. It had taken one of their technicians 40 minutes to drive to us and park the car. Wouldn’t a bike be quicker, we thought?! So, three enthusiastic members of staff went head-to-head to see who would arrive, and return, the fastest (and most stress free).

One driving SBN’s Toyota Prius Hybrid, one on an old mountain bike, and one on a swanky e-bike.

The result

The two bikes made it up the hill to Eden Terrace within two minutes of the car arriving. If they hadn’t been fooling around taking a video on the light path, they surely would have arrived first!

The return journey

The bikes zoomed back down the hill in a few minutes, beating the car to the area by 10 minutes. Brigitte then spent 30 minutes trying to find a parking spot, arriving back at the office a full 40 minutes after the cyclists, and in a much more frustrated state!

Their thoughts

Andy, on the mountain bike:

I can understand why people might not think about using bikes for cross-town meetings. Bad weather and big hills can make it tricky to turn up looking presentable.

The big lesson for me was how much of a difference the e-bike makes. You can do it in business clothes, no sweat. In business, time is money, and you can save a lot of both.

Phil, on the e-bike:

Andy’s right, e-bikes can be a game changer in the hilly terrain of Auckland and some of our other cities. Providing an e-bike for staff to use is just one of the many ways in which businesses can support cycling.

Brigitte, in the car

The amount of time wasted by driving a car is crazy. I wasted 30 extra minutes on one seemingly small trip across town. I’d hate to think how much time people lose when they have multiple meetings in a day.