e.CAN 171 - The email bulletin of Cycling Advocates' Network, NZ

e.CAN 171 - The email bulletin of Cycling Advocates' Network, NZ

Contents:
- 2009 is the year to get on your bike
- February is Bike Wise Month
- Bus bike-rack trial successful
- Cyclists angry at 'dead horse' talk on Auckland Harbour Bridge
- MoT releases 'cycling for transport' fact sheet
- And more new publications from NZTA
- 'No guarantee' on transport funds, says Minister
- Tax breaks for bikers in the US
- London bikers permitted to ride against the traffic
- Commuter cycling booming in Adelaide
- Weblinks

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2009 IS THE YEAR TO GET ON YOUR BIKE

1 January 2009- Want to shape up, save cash - and feel fantastic? There's one very simple solution: start pedalling. Simon Usborne gives 20 reasons why now is the time to get cycling.

Read on here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/healthy-living/on-yer-bike-why-theres-never-been-a-better-time-to-saddle-up-1219882.html

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FEBRUARY IS BIKE WISE MONTH

28 January 2009- This year the annual Bike Wise promotion will be extended from a week to the whole month of February to accommodate a growth in cycling's popularity and an increased number of activities.

Hundreds of events have been organised across the country to celebrate cycling. They will be characterised by noise, colour, activity and fun.

Bike Wise events are well organised, popular and well supported by local celebrities and personalities. If you're looking for a story with plenty of visual appeal and lots of human interest, consider covering a Bike Wise event. Details of where and when Bike Wise Month events are being held can be found at http://www.bikewise.co.nz/Site/events.

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BUS BIKE-RACK TRIAL SUCCESSFUL

30 January 2009- New Zealand buses could soon sport bike racks after a successful six-month trial in Christchurch.

Environment Canterbury, which ran the trial, will meet the New Zealand Transport Agency today to discuss the trial and the law change needed to allow buses to carry the racks.

Ten Christchurch routes, including those to Lyttelton, Halswell, Huntsbury and the airport, will carry cycle racks after contracts are re-tendered in November.

Rangiora will be negotiated separately.

The racks, which cost $2000 each, are fitted to the front of the bus and can carry two bikes.

Read more here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4833174a6530.html

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CYCLISTS ANGRY AT 'DEAD HORSE' TALK ON AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE

23 December 2008- Campaigners for walking and cycling across Auckland Harbour Bridge are considering a protest march and ride after the Transport Agency allegedly deemed their cause a "dead horse".

Getacross Campaign leaders intend asking the 10,051 people who have registered online backing walking and cycling links to consider a more visible show of support.

"We'll be asking them to support taking protest action because we are so disappointed with the Transport Agency's attitude," spokesman Bevan Woodward said after attending a briefing on Friday with the agency and Auckland Regional Transport Committee members.

"It was abundantly clear they [the agency] have a closed mind on this matter - they called it a dead horse, and it's not."

Read more here:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/cycling/news/article.cfm?c_id=31&objectid=10549417

Subsequently, the idea of a cycle-walkway slung under the main bridge has been revisited:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10551080

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MOT RELEASES 'CYCLING FOR TRANSPORT' FACT SHEET

Ministry of Transport has released a new fact sheet on cycling for transport, based on Household Travel Survey data. It has new figures on travel mode share, who cycles, cycling times and distances, destinations and purposes of cycling, and trends in cycling.

Download it (276 kB PDF) here:

http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Cycling-for-transport-2008.pdf

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AND MORE NEW PUBLICATIONS FROM NZTA

Three recent publications from the NZ Transport Agency should give a boost to cycling:

1. Updates to their Economic Evaluation Manual, with increased composite benefits for cycling. Hopefully this will result in some new cycling projects being put forward:

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/funding/economic-evaluation-manual/eem2-1.pdf

2. A stocktake of walking and cycling strategies, published October last year, which shows that councils are taking significant steps forward in planning for walking and cycling:

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/road-user-safety/walking-and-cycling/docs/walking-cycling-strategy-stocktake.pdf

3. Regional Land Transport Programme guidelines, which signal that greater emphasis needs to be placed on the planning, prioritisation and delivery of walking and cycling infrastructure projects. The guidelines establish a hierarchy of interventions to be used when developing regional land transport plans. The first two items in the hierarchy are demand management, and walking and cycling:

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/funding/nltp/guidelines-2009-12/docs/rltp-guidelines-09-12-v1.pdf

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'NO GUARANTEE' ON TRANSPORT FUNDS, SAYS MINISTER

28 January 2009- Funding for public transport, walking and cycling projects is not guaranteed, Transport Minister Steven Joyce says, as the Government ramps up its investment in state highways.

The Press reported yesterday that the powerful Canterbury Regional Transport Committee had shifted $38 million of "reliable" regional funding from public transport, walking and cycling into state highways.

The non-highway projects will now compete for funding in a nationally-contested pot.

Joyce said yesterday that the Government would roll back plans made under the previous government to spend 9 per cent less on state highway construction over the next three years.

Asked if funding for public transport, walking and cycling projects would be cut as state highway funding increased, Joyce said it was too early to say but later said the funding was not guaranteed.

Read more here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4831054a6009.html

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TAX BREAKS FOR BIKERS IN THE US

23 December 2008- Employees in the USA who regularly use their bicycles to get to and from work are now eligible for a $20-a-month, tax-free reimbursement from their employers for bicycle-related expenses. Employers will in turn be able to deduct the expense from their federal taxes.

The Bicycle Commuter Act was part of the larger set of Renewable Energy Tax Credit Initiatives included in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, a.k.a. the "Wall Street Bailout Bill, signed into law by President Bush in early October 2008. Section 211 of the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" allows for a "qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement" for "reasonable expenses incurred by the employee...for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee's residence and place of employment."

The League of American Bicyclists is maintaining a Frequently Asked Questions page pertaining to the Bicycle Commuter Act at:

http://tinyurl.com/4eu7ux

[From Centerlines, the e-newsletter of the US National Center for Bicycling & Walking]

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LONDON BIKERS PERMITTED TO RIDE AGAINST THE TRAFFIC

28 January 2009- London cyclists will be allowed to ride the wrong way up one-way streets in the City in a new scheme to encourage more people to ride to work in the Square Mile.

The Corporation of London has agreed permission to allow cyclists to ride against the traffic in seven streets in a £45,000 project beginning in early summer.

If the plan proves popular - and safe - city chiefs said today that it could be expanded to other areas.

More here:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23629978-details/article.do?ito=newsnow&

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COMMUTER CYCLING BOOMING IN ADELAIDE

14 January 2009- The number of people cycling to work in Adelaide has increased by almost 50 per cent in a five-year period, particularly among well-educated professionals, according to a University of Adelaide study.

Transport expert Dr Jennifer Bonham says the most recent Census statistics show that 41.9 per cent more people (6498 in total) are cycling to work in Adelaide's urban areas, with increasing numbers of women living near the city opting for the bicycle over other methods of transport.

Read more here:

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20091401-18670-2.html

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WEBLINKS

- Commuter pedal and electric cycling in NZ: one of our members is conducting an online survey on this- check it out here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=pKXm_2brIPpCg7Kfj0y_2fWR7Q_3d_3d

- Commuter Bike Design competition finalists: check out the six finalists in this competition to design the ultimate commuter bike:

http://bicycledesign.blogspot.com/2009/01/finalists-in-commuter-bike-design.html

- Handlebra Easy Rider Club: a recently-formed group of women in Te Atatu, Auckland, dedicated to the art of 'slow cycling' and the joys of getting places in style on two wheels:

http://handlebraeasyriderclub.blogspot.com/

- London to Paris cycle route: plans are afoot for a 350 km cycle route between London and Paris, to be ready for the 2012 Olympics:

http://www.eta.co.uk/node/11642

- Bike bells on buses: initiatives to make cycling work in Paris, including thinking about mobility in terms of people instead of vehicles, and installing bells on buses that share lanes with cyclists:

http://www.velorution.biz/?p=1828

- Light Lane: an idea for taking your own bike lane with you wherever you go at night:

http://dustbowl.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/light-lane-concept-from-altitudes-alex-tee-and-evan-gant/

- Stick-on rust: another way to help prevent your bike from getting stolen:

http://austinbikeblog.org/2009/01/11/a-new-way-to-prevent-your-bike-from-getting-stolen/

- Tour d'Afrique essay contest: send in your best cycling stories and win a trans-continental bike tour:

http://www.tourdafrique.com/contest/

- The Bicycle Diaries: a three-part BBC podcast series exploring how the bicycle is used today around the world:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2009/01/090114_bicyclediaries_progone.shtml

- What is a Parkiteer, daddy? Secure and free bike parking cages at train stations in Victoria, Australia:

http://www.bv.com.au/join-in/41972/

- Bike parking on Flickr: 400 more pics of bike parking solutions:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luton/collections/72157600491955955/

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ABOUT CAN

Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) is New Zealand's voice for cyclists. We want to see cycling become an everyday activity in NZ. CAN's membership includes experienced cyclists, advocates, engineers, planners, local and regional councils, bike shops, and local advocacy groups throughout the country.

To find out more about CAN, go to our website, http://www.can.org.nz.

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