CAN staff and volunteers delivered 2x1-hour workshops at SKM (Sinclair Knight Merz) on World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 28 April 2009, in return for a cash donation to CAN.
Auckland: Kirsten, Barb, Barb and Stephen met a dozen SKM staff.
Their new Auckland office is well set up with secure bike parking and staff showers, partly thanks to an already active BUG which has up to 40 members.
Most of the group were thinking of cycling to work, or keen to take it up again after a break. CAA's talk emphasised encouragement for new cyclists, covering getting started, bikes and gear, and route planning. Questions were maily focussed on finding safe routes for commuting, particularly safe ways into SKM's Parnell office off very busy Stanley St. and on combining cycling with other forms of transport. We also talked about bike maintenance, punctures, protective clothing, and using CAA's website for information and crash reporting.
A kit of information on CAN, CAA, bike commuting, and local Cycle Maps and information, stickers and membership forms was presented to each participant. The session lasted a bit more than hour and the feedback from SKM was very positive.
Wellington: Patrick and Marilyn met 9 SKM staff.
Their questions included:
- how do I activate traffic lights?
- where are our changing rooms?
- can I overtake on an inside lane?
- what sort of pedals do you recommend?
- a car and I both wnat to tun left. Who goes first?
Much of the discussion included answering the above questions, and also dealing with the legal requirements of bicycles and lights, and where to ride on the road, what to carry as a bare minimum and how to carry it.
I made new contacts: Tom Small at SKM is doing work for NZTA and councils on Wellington's 'Triangle study'.
Lorelei Schmitt at SKM is a senior transport planner.
Also found out that Wellington Regional Council has a travel planning forum, for travel planners at Wellington businesses and organisations. How about that?
Resources
Everything you wanted to know about riding to work
Everything
you need to know about
cycle commuting in Wellington
SPARC Cycle friendly employer guide
Cycling maps
CAN stickers
CAN membership forms