CAN Do 2020: Cycling Action Network's annual member advocacy workshop

Welcome to CAN Do, CAN's annual get-together. The weekend includes our AGM, workshops, training, rides, plenty of food and drink, and a chance to catch up with fellow "CANners" from around New Zealand, at the home of High Performance Cycling in New Zealand.

Dates:  29th Feburary, 2020
Location: Avantidrome, 15 Hanlin Road, Cambridge

Registration: On-line

It's CAN DO time again, and for this year, the home of Cycling New Zealand plays host.

The CAN Do is our annual workshop and AGM that brings together cycling advocates from around New Zealand. You will supercharge your advocacy skills, with training on effective messaging, networking, and campaigning.

Not only will we have the normal CAN activities, which include workshops, discussions and presentations from guest speakers; this year you get to try track cycling on a UCI track!

Our very own Acting CAN board Chair Claire Sherrington, as an accredited track cycling coach, and will be running sessions for those of us who want to pedal the boards.

Don't worry if track cycling is not your thing, the Avantidrome is one of the stops on the Te Awa, The Great New Zealand River Ride. From the Avantidrome it's a short pedal in to Cambridge, which after having State Highway 1 moved from traversing the village is undergoing an urban resurgence, with cycling being one of the key transport modes. 

Programme hightlights - 

  • A climate for change - how cycling can deliver low-carbon cities
  • https://www.midlandtrauma.nz/  - it's in the data, amazing insights to cycle crashes. How it can help us. 
  • Learn more about Cambridge's story. It is rapidly become New Zealand's cycling epicentre with amazing communtiy cycling opportunities to right to the top end of cycling.
  • How did Hamilton turn one its key traffic bridges into a bike-friendly zone?
  • Planning the cycling city - how to Go Dutch in New Zealand.
  • A perspective from lwell known NZ cyclist journalist and author, Russell Jones 
  • Met Eltje Malzbender, paracyclist and double world champion in training for Tokyo Paralympics. In 2016 Eltje was disabled in a near death hit and run crash while in King Country countryside. 
  • 2020 advocacy - a clear vision for successful campaigns. This is a workshop to kick start your work in your local area. 
  • Early evening activites are either "have a go" session on the Avantidrome (limited to 15 spaces) and also the opportunities to see great local cycling features  - 2  pump parks, Te Awa path, Safe ways to Schools projects improvements. 

Comments

Resources

Wellington city safer speeds Submision Guide Feb 2020, https://can.org.nz/safer-speeds

Messaging

The case for putting people first

Will Wellington continue to be a city built around the needs of cars or will we re-design it in a way that puts the needs of people first?

Everyone deserves streets that are safe and easy to get around.

But for too long politicians in councils and government have spent most transport dollars on trying to make driving easier. By putting cars first and denying us transport choices, they have forced more and more people to drive. That has failed us. Too often, our streets are crowded, polluted and dangerous.
Streets are part of our neighbourhood. They are places where people meet, where we shop, where we live. Streets are places where kids meet friends and play.
It's time for politicians in councils and government to make our streets safe and attractive for everyone. We can do this by setting safe traffic speeds, by making more space for people on bikes, on foot and on public transport, and by better city planning.
It's simply a matter of putting people first.


Call to action:
e.g. have your say on XYZ
make a submission on safe speeds
petition for a safe passing law
talk to your Councillors
Join us at event ABC
vote for XYZ

 Structure
Vision – what do we want?
Evoke values – why do we want it?
Barriers – what problem is standing in our way? Who put it there?
Action
– solution: how can the barrier be removed?
– call to action: what can I do?
– does the solution match the problem and its cause?

The CAN Do was held in the Cambridge Avantidrome on leap day. Miriam Sharland reports:

Approximately 25 delegates headed to Cambridge for the CAN Do 2020 conference.
Here a little bit about on what’s happening around the country. Some key points:

Christchurch – getting women in skirts on bikes is great for presentations! They introduced a bike passport with local businesses – cyclists get a stamp for every business they visit. Most of the businesses have signed up again this year
Hawke’s Bay – now has 76km of off-road bike lanes but have had 2 on-road deaths this year
Kapiti – e-bike use is rocketing, with their older demographic; after being told by council they couldn’t widen the shoulder on the new road, the group went directly to Fletchers road builders who just went ahead and widened it.
Tauranga – a huge decrease in road cycling. A Bike Tauranga member has been elected to council. Check that your council has a risk register – it’s a useful tool for negotiations.
Wellington – e-bike sales doubling annually. Rebicycle just gave away its 1000th bike. They have Bike Kitchen and Bikespace (funded by WCC).
Waikato – working with HCC on a new development of 20,000 people which will promote active transport. Ungap the Map project to create connections between bike routes.
Hutt – New path along river and valley almost complete.

At the Cycling Action Network (CAN) AGM some new board members were elected. Patrick Morgan called for more diversity on the board and asks particularly for women to get in touch if they are interested. CAN is struggling financially. Please send any fundraising ideas to patrick@can.org.nz. Ask your organisation if they will do payroll giving.


Speakers:


Mark Bunting: cycling-mad local councillor on his work with Hamilton City Council

Patrick Morgan:

  • “sell the cake not the ingredients”. Don’t talk about bike lanes, but about a cleaner, more efficient, more pleasant city.
  • Meet candidates before they’re elected – it helps with the relationships afterwards.
  • 570 people came on the Brent Norriss memorial ride; 3 MPs attended. Patrick had a meeting with NZTA and is awaiting a response about the dangerous intersection where Brent was killed while riding his bike on 3 February.

Melissa Clarke – Transport Manager, Hamilton City Council: reported on the new cycling infrastructure on Claudelands Bridge.

Waipa District Council Transport Manager: Safe Ways to School programme piloted in Cambridge Primary School has led to safety improvements in infrastructure; they have proposed a Dutch roundabout in Cambridge.

Russell Jones, cycling journalist – an entertaining account of his life as a cycling journalist, interviewing some of the legends of road cycling.

It is rapidly become New Zealand's cycling epicentre with amazing communtiy cycling opportunities to right to the top end of cycling. exterior painting 

Everyone deserves streets It is a basic human right to have streets that are safe and easy to navigate. We must demand and work towards creating such environments for everyone. at are safe and easy to get around.

 

Cheers,

Davidson 

Fence contractor