Children aged 12 and under will soon be allowed to ride their bikes on footpaths with a grown-up alongside them, the Government has confirmed.
It follows public consultation on a package of road rule changes announced by the Government in February. The changes are expected to come into effect at the end of the year after Orders in Council.
Under the proposal, all children aged 12 and under will be able to ride bikes on footpaths. A change following consultation will allow an older rider, like a parent, caregiver, teacher, or older sibling, to ride with them.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said this was for safety purposes.
"One of the strongest messages we heard was that allowing children to ride on footpaths only solves half the problem if the grown-up riding with them still has to use the road.
"Keeping kids safe while they're learning to ride is common sense. This change strikes the right balance between protecting young cyclists and ensuring footpaths remain safe for everyone who uses them."
Also under the changes, people riding e-scooters will also be allowed to use cycle lanes.
The Government said it had also "simplified" the new mandatory overtaking gap rule for vehicles passing cyclists and horse riders.
Instead of using diffrent gaps in diffrent circumstances and speeds, drivers will be required to leave a minimum gap of 1.5 metres when overtaking.
"That's clearer for drivers and safer for everyone."
Another change will mean drivers must give way to buses leaving stops on roads with a speed limit of 60km/h or less.
Technical changes related to control devices such as road signs, signals, and markings will also be introduced.
The Government dropped its proposal to give councils greater powers to fine drivers parked on berms.
"After considering the feedback, we've decided not to proceed because it became clear the proposal wouldn't solve the underlying problem," Bishop said.
The minister said the changes were about "fixing the basics".
"Safer streets, clearer rules, and less bureaucracy getting in the way of everyday travel."
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