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:

Register for CAN site

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.

Groups:

Final Policies

Release Datesort icon 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

This is an archive of our policy development discussion. Follow this link for the published policy.

Policy Statement

Using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle should be prohibited.

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:

  • When the path is wide enough for both modes (at least 2.5 m and wider if there are large numbers of users); and
  • If there are few driveways (not more than 5 per km) and side streets (not more than 1 per km); or
  • If there are many driveways, ample width (at least 5 m) is available between the path and the boundary.

 

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
Restricted: 17 years old, currently 15½
Full: 19 years old, currently 16½

 

C - Low
Cyclists on footpaths

Cycling on footpaths should be legal for riders younger than 12 years and their accompanying guardians.

 

B - Medium