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Traffic and parking stressing you out? Feeling blah and want to improve your mental and physical health? Like to do your bit for the environment? The Wednesday Challenge can kick start new habits!
Did you know that Tauranga is the most car dependent city in Aotearoa? Only 5 percent of us
use alternative modes to the single occupancy car. The Wednesday Challenge is a community initiative encouraging us to travel differently on a Wednesday. Instead of jumping in your car by
your lonesome, we’re being asked to consider catching a bus, carpooling, or to bike, scooter,
skate, walk, run or even catch the ferry.
“Lots of us have spent time overseas and it’s the cities that aren’t full of cars that are usually our favourite places — so why can’t we make Tauranga feel more like them?” says Heidi Hughes,
project director. “Bustling cities with full buses, people out on their bikes or walking… We can’t
magic up a metro or miles of bike lanes, but it’s easier than people think to choose a different
mode. And if we all choose the same day, we might just see a tangible change in our streets by
the end of the year — that’s our goal.”
Why take part?
Been complaining about the traffic? Of course you have, it’s one of our favourite pastimes in Tauranga! Now let’s imagine a day where your blood pressure and frustration levels aren’t sky
high by 9am.
Scenario one: you jump on your bike (walking’s also excellent), say mōrena to your neighbour over the fence — rather than roaring past in your car, and as you pedal leisurely (the wind in your hair! birdsong!), you take in a whole new perspective of your town. You smile smugly at the thought
of all those people in gridlocked traffic. You arrive at work in a zen state and, who knows, maybe
that time has afforded you the headspace to work through creative ideas for work.
Scenario two: you board a bus, sit back with a great book (or close your eyes to meditate) and
relax until your stop, starting the day as serenely, as you mean to continue.
Wednesdays could mean less congestion on our roads, including the chaotic streets around
schools, which would translate to less pollution and improved health (just 30 minutes exercise
a few days a week is enough to reduce depression, anxiety and bad moods!). It could also create more connected communities.
“Covid has seen our work and life patterns change. A lot more people have been working from
home, going from Zoom call to Zoom call, doing workouts via YouTube in the garage,” says Heidi. “We’re encouraging people to get back out there on Wednesdays to rebuild connections, take the time to ride, wait for the bus, offer someone a lift…”
Power to the people!
You have the power to make a difference, simply jump on the website wednesdaychallenge.co.nz
and sign up, then log your journeys on a Wednesday. Each week that you choose a better mode
than solo car trips, you earn points. And, if you need a further push, there are a host of prizes, including a $4000 shopping spree at Mount Maunganui’s My Ride bike shop (you’re automatically entered when you sign up) and a $1000 monthly prize package is up for grabs for all involved.
Heaps of schools, more than 60 businesses and organisations and a host of neighbourhoods are already signed up. You can also set up teams on the site (eg your workplace or neighbourhood)
and you can see who’s at the top of the leaderboards.
So what’s new?
A carpooling app is being launched in Tauranga as part of the Wednesday Challenge. Liftango
is an internationally renowned shared transport facilitator and Tauranga is the first place in New Zealand to get it. Businesses can register on the Wednesday Challenge site and set up the Liftango app so they can carpool with other registered Liftango users to get to and from work.
A ferry trial will launch in spring (you can pre-book ferry tickets now on wednesdaychallenge.co.nz). Wednesdays will be a whole lot more fun when you can jump on a ferry between Downtown Tauranga and Pilot Bay in the Mount to get to and from work, get to meetings or even just to
go out for lunch. Plus, a convenient Wednesday commuter ferry service will also run between Omokoroa and Tauranga CBD.
A group of ambassadors are spreading the word about the challenge, such as Steve Ferris, owner
of Tauranga’s The Flooring Room. Until the Wednesday Challenge, he’d driven his car to work for
20 years, but now he’s been jumping on his electric skateboard or bike — he’s enjoying the fresh air,
a faster commute and time to destress, without the road rage that he used to endure daily. “I’ve never taken a bus, bike, or skateboard to work, until now! I feel like after 20 years of driving, my eyes have been opened to a whole new way of getting to work!” he says. “I love a challenge. Hate the traffic.
I want the feeling of making a difference and I want to get fit. I really hope Tauranga gets behind this and people realise how easy it is.”
The target
“We’re aiming to reduce car dependency in Tauranga over the year with a target of 20 percent of regular drivers participating in the challenge,” explains Heidi. “We currently sit at around 5 percent,
so if we all choose to make a difference just one day a week, we would see tangible change. Think winding the clock back 10 years on Tauranga traffic!”
For more info, visit wednesdaychallenge.co.nz @wednesdaychallenge
