The first Locky Dock for the capital will be unveiled by Michael Wood, Minister of Transport at 8am on Wednesday 14 July, at the corner of Willis Street and Ghuznee Street.

Marking an important step in the drive to give people more transport options, to reduce emissions and to improve wellbeing on the streets of Aotearoa New Zealand, Big Street Bikers, the New Zealand social enterprise who have developed the Locky Dock network over the last four years, could not be more excited.

“We are so pleased to have our first Wellington Locky Dock launched on a street which is notorious for inner city car congestion. It is just near a former motorway off ramp which is a safe cycling route, and our first Wellington Locky Dock is set to catch people’s attention,” says Cleve Cameron, founder of Big Street Bikers (BSB).

“The purpose of the Locky Dock network is to provide physical infrastructure for carbon free streets across Aotearoa, helping accelerate climate action. By making it safe, secure and normal to bike to work, we aim to cut down commuter traffic and make use of the extensive bike lanes which have been part of significant investment by councils over the past decade and will hopefully be appearing more and more around our cities.”

The first Wellington location is on Waka Kotahi land.

Last month when the Minister of Transport, Michael Wood, announced a rebalancing of the NZ Upgrade infrastructure funding, he said: “Meeting our commitment to decarbonising transport means that we have to start doing things differently.” The Locky Dock network aims to do exactly that.

Locky Docks are secure locking and charging stations for ebikes and escooters (as well as toddler bikes). Manufactured in Estonia, and using the latest technology to lock and charge, the docks are activated by app or by local public transport cards. This safe, secure system is leading edge European technology with a Kiwi twist.

With a background in advertising, Cameron and his co-founders Andrew Charlesworth and Matt Weavers, developed a unique system adding screens to the docks to make Locky Docks free for people to use. “Internationally, similar secure parking and charging docks operate on a user pays basis. So we developed a solution to remove barriers to the uptake of e-transport, with Locky Dock operating costs self-funded through the media content and brand partners. Thanks to the partnership with Mercury and Tauhara North No.2 Trust, and the provision of an outdoor media platform, there are minimal CAPEX or installation costs for the property owner.”

“Placement next to key destinations - schools, cafés, bars, venues, offices, malls, hospitals, universities, libraries, parks and other council facilities - creates convenience for users. To be in the ground in Wellington is a big step towards achieving our goal we set out with Mercury to have hundreds of Locky Docks around the country.”

To address concerns around cycle safety, the Locky Dock screens display bike path maps showing safe bike routes around cities. These are co-designed by BSB and local councils, in cooperation with Waka Kotahi. This creates a nationwide visual language to increase awareness for bike paths. Waka Kotahi supported the pilot and research for these maps in Christchurch which has become the template for Locky Dock digital maps nationwide.

The next Wellington location installed will be at the Wellington Hospital. BSB is in discussion with Wellington City Council about future locations of Locky Docks in the central city. The first solar-powered Locky Dock Parklet (a smaller version of the Locky Dock), co-funded by EECA, will be installed in the civic centre of Paraparaumu with Kapiti Coast District Council. Big Street Bikers is also in discussion with Hutt City Council about extending the network through Hutt City and over to Wainuiomata.

Locky Docks will now continue to pop up around the country, and BSB has requests pouring in from councils and property owners in widespread locations including Auckland, Hamilton, Whakatāne, Rotorua, Taupō, Tauranga, Napier, Palmerston North, Dunedin, Queenstown, Central Otago, Hokitika and Invercargill.

After a successful 12-month pilot in Christchurch City users have reported their key motivations for traveling by bike are getting faster from A to B by avoiding time spent in traffic, and for saving money on parking, petrol and vehicle upkeep. Many users were aware of the changes coming to motor vehicles and reported they were happy to make the investment in electric mobility.

“With bike thefts rising over the last year 57%, particularly of ebikes (NZ Police data to end of 2020), establishing secure bike parking is essential to remove fear and protect people's bikes. It’s great to see an increasing number of cargo bikes on the streets being used by families to get around. Aotearoa can catch up to how a lot of the world has already been operating.”

Chief marketing officer Julia Jack adds that New Zealand has a unique advantage in renewable energy. It can free itself from the environmental and financial impacts of relying on foreign fossil fuels, and Mercury sees transport electrification as the key to doing that.

LINKS:

‘How to Locky Dock’ - https://youtu.be/9uoUzjHdd38

Christchurch case study - https://youtu.be/LYHXiiHtEeQ

Images available including local safe biking route maps: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MbjI-3chyjAUzGd0BPv7mqVjWmXlw2yY?usp=sharing

Download app to use Locky Docks

Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bikeep.app&hl=en&gl=US

Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bikeep/id1320858642

ABOUT BIG STREET BIKERS

Big Street Bikers is a NZ owned, climate positive, social enterprise focused on public good.

With major funding from Rotorua based, Māori Land Trust, Tauhara North No. 2, and a network partnership with Mercury, BSB have been operating the country’s first Locky Dock Network in Christchurch since June 2020 - with support from Waka Kotahi and Christchurch City Council.

Big Street Bikers were awarded Social Enterprise Accreditation by Ākina in 2020, along with Auckland Transport’s Innovative Thinker Award 2020, and were finalists in the Sustainable Business Network Awards.

www.bigstreetbikers.com

CURRENT LOCKY DOCK LOCATIONS

First for Wellington

Willis Street - Cnr Willis and Ghuznee

Auckland

Commonsense - Mt. Eden

Garage Project - Kingsland

Les Mills - Victoria St West

Silo Park - Jellicoe St

Morningside Tavern

Unitec - Student Central

Orakei Bay Village

Christchurch - 12 sites, locations available on request

There are also Locky Dock sites on Kiwi Property locations at malls in Christchurch, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Auckland.

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