CAN Policies
This area of the website contains all the information you need to get informed about and participate in the CAN Policy Development Process. Here you have access to the policies, to the ongoing discussions and more.
The part those policies play in assisting the achievement of these goals is elaborated in CAN’s Policy Statement.
Goals
Policy development is one of the priorities in CAN’s strategic plan and is a stepping stone towards achieving CAN’s goals:
- More trips by cycle
- That cycling is perceived as a positive activity
- Cyclists have fun and are safe while riding
How to Participate
To find out more about the Policy Development Process, follow this link:
The policy development process
To participate in the discussion for policy development, you first need to have registered as a user for the CAN site, you can do this at:
Then you will be able to join the Policy Development group at:
Join the Policy Development Team
For more information, contact Graeme Lindup, the CAN Policy Coordinator
Email: policy [at] can [dot] org [dot] nz
Below is a list of policies that are currently being worked on. You can contribute in two ways:
- Comment on any aspects of the draft policies, or
- Make changes to the draft policies.
How it works
Opening the full version of a policy
If you are interested in any particular policy, click on its title. This will open up a page, where you then see the full length version of the policy, including any comments that have already been posted.
Add a comment
You can add a new comment by filling out the box at the bottom 'Post new comment'. Hitting the button 'Post comment', your contribution gets published.
Reply to a comment
You can also comment on another comment by 'replying' to it. Use the 'reply' link underneath the comment for that purpose.
Amend a policy
You can also edit a policy, i.e. change its text, or add to the text. You see an 'Edit' tab at the top of the page when you have a policy open. Clicking on 'Edit' will open the editor page. You can change or amend the text in the 'policy content' window. It's easy to do - have a go at it! The important bit is that you hit the 'Submit' button at the bottom of the page when you are done. Without submitting it, your amendments haven't been saved.
It's hard to stuff things up, as the 'Revisions' tab lets people see your amendments. So in case something goes wrong, the revisions facility lets you or anybody else revert to an earlier version. It's a bit like 'Track changes' in Word, but it's easier to revert to earlier versions on this website.
You can use the box 'Log message' to write brief notes about what you have amended and / or why. This is useful, so that others understand the rationale behind your actions.
When do I comment - when do I amend?
If you want to raise discussion about a topic, or query the reasoning why somebody else has drafted something, consider using a comment.
If you think something can be said in a better way, don't comment on it, but amend the policy accordingly. If you would like to have additional material covered in the policy, consider amending it yourself. If you are not sure whether the additional material is really suitable, comment about it.
Don't feel shy about amending a policy where you are not the lead author. This is an online collaboration forum, and you using it accordingly (e.g. by amending draft policies) is its intended purpose. Anyone else involved in policy development can compare any version with any other version and revert to an earlier version if they wish - so all earlier work is retained.
Final Policies
|
Release Date |
Policy | Policy Statement | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 November, 2009 | Cell Phone Use in Vehicles |
Using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle should be prohibited. |
Cellphone_Use_in_Vehicles.pdf |
| 7 November, 2008 | Health and Fitness |
CAN believes that cycling should be actively encouraged by both the health and transport sectors to play a key role in New Zealand's health promotion system as well as being a sustainable means of transport that has environmental advantages.
|
CAN_Policy_health_and_fitness_R1.pdf |
| 15 May, 2008 | Compulsory Third Party Insurance for Motorists |
Introduce a compulsory insurance for property damage from road crashes for motorists. Restructure the ACC motor vehicle account funding so that the annual flat levy is replaced by a levy based on driver characteristics (e.g. age and driving record).
|
Compulsory_Third_Party_Insurance.pdf |
| 7 May, 2008 | Fuel Tax Policy |
CAN recommends a revenue neutral programme of increasing petrol excise tax, introducing diesel excise tax, reducing both company and income taxes to encourage more sustainable travel for people and goods.
|
Graph_International_2008-06.pdf, Fuel_Tax_Policies.pdf |
Policies Under Development
| Policy | Policy Statement | Policy status | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car parking |
Car parking should be reduced or eliminated in high traffic density or CBD areas where space is needed to provide facilities for walking, cycling and other environmentally sustainable activities. |
A - High | |
| Road Pricing |
Road pricing should be included as one of the options for reducing congestion and moving NZ towards the greater use of sustainable transport, to be used in conjunction with increased investment in public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure.
|
A - High | |
| Speed Limit Tolerance |
The maximum enforcement tolerance for speed limit violations should be 10% of the speed limit. |
A - High | |
| Speed Limits for Urban Areas |
Urban streets should have lower speed limits and operating speeds than currently.
|
A - High | |
| Bikes on buses |
All scheduled urban and long-distance buses should have some method of carrying two or more bikes.
|
B - Medium | |
| Cell Phone Use in Vehicles- Archived |
Archive
|
C - Low | |
| Broken glass on roads and cycle paths |
CAN supports measures, such as a Bottle Bill (container deposit legislation) to reduce broken glass on roads and cycle paths. CAN also supports measures to prevent throwing of glass bottles on roads. CAN also supports programmes for regular cleaning of glass off roads, cycle lanes and cycle paths. |
A - High | |
| Share the Road campaigns |
The public road is available for all users. |
B - Medium | |
| Cycle skills training for children and adults |
Cycle skills training for school children and adults is to be encouraged. |
B - Medium | |
| Police on bikes |
All major cities should have trained officers equipped with bikes for routine enforcement work.
|
C - Low | |
| Shared pathways |
The use of shared paths (for cyclists and pedestrians) should only be authorised:
|
B - Medium | |
| Current Fuel Tax Regime |
Fuel taxes should be set as a proportion of the retail price, not a fixed number of cents per litre. If fuel prices decline, the tax component should remain at its previous level, but not increase again until the price reaches its previous level.
|
A - High | |
| 40 km/h speed limit on local urban roads |
Most roads in an urban area should be classified as "local" roads where local activities and property access take precedence over traffic movement and speed. Pedestrians and cyclists should be able to travel without fear of injury, with speed limits set at 40 km/h. A 40 km/h speed limit should be applied to all urban roads that are not deemed arterials by roading engineers.
|
B - Medium | |
| Legal driving age |
The age at which driving licences can be acquired should be increased as follows:
Learners: 16 years old, currently 15
|
C - Low | |
| Cyclists on footpaths |
Cycling on footpaths should be legal for riders younger than 12 years and their accompanying guardians.
|
B - Medium |
