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Speaker 1: So the government's announced today that it would like to

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Speaker 1: shake up the road rules a little to allow kids

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Speaker 1: under the age of twelve to ride their bikes on

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Speaker 1: the footpath and e scooters to use cycle ways. Now,

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Speaker 1: it might surprise you to learn that both of those

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Speaker 1: things are currently against the rules. No kids are allowed

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Speaker 1: on footpaths on their bikes unless the wheel's diameter is

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Speaker 1: about the length of the ruler or less, and e

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Speaker 1: scooters are not allowed to go in the cycle lanes.

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Speaker 1: And it probably will surprise you because we do all

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Speaker 1: these things all of the time, don't we. I mean,

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Speaker 1: we've got a cycle way near our house. Scooters are

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Speaker 1: on that thing constantly because it is frankly the safest

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Speaker 1: place for a scooter to be. I took my boy

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Speaker 1: and his six and nine year old cousins for a

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Speaker 1: bike ride to the skatepark at the Beach over summer.

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Speaker 1: They rode on the footpath. Two of those bikes were

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Speaker 1: definitely against the rules, way too big, So you could

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Speaker 1: probably if you want to characterize Chris Bishop's propose new

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Speaker 1: rules as just changing the law to reflect what we're

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Speaker 1: already doing. I have a question for you, though, Why

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Speaker 1: have an age limit for kids at all. I mean,

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Speaker 1: we're hardly going to stick to this rule. Are we

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Speaker 1: were hardly going to say to the twelve year old

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Speaker 1: the day that turn thirteen that they now have to

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Speaker 1: get off the footpath and cycle on Ponsonby Road? Are we?

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Speaker 1: In fact, we regularly see older adults riding their bikes

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Speaker 1: on Ponsonby Road, pass on the footpaths past the cafes.

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Speaker 1: We just step out of the way. It's an adult

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Speaker 1: on an adult sized bike. Everybody just steps out of

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Speaker 1: the way, lets them through that because they're on the footpath,

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Speaker 1: they're courteous and surrounded by pedestrians. They go really slowly.

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Speaker 1: Here's my proposal. How about when we change the rules,

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Speaker 1: we actually take the age limit out of it all together.

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Speaker 1: Don't have an age limit. Say to people, look, we

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Speaker 1: would prefer it if you would cycle on the road,

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Speaker 1: but if you can't do that safely, then you're welcome

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Speaker 1: to use the footpath if you have to go. If

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Speaker 1: you have to do that, please go slowly. Give pedestrians

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Speaker 1: the right of way. Because our preferences. No one dies

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Speaker 1: on the road, no one gets hurt on the footpath.

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Speaker 1: Maybe we could just pass a rule that reflects what

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Speaker 1: we are probably going to end up doing, and what

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Speaker 1: also reflects common sense. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,

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Speaker 1: listen live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,

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