active transport

Andreas Rohl hails from Copenhagen, a city with 400 kilometres of bike lanes, foot rests for riders waiting at intersections, and a "highway" that whisks cyclists from the suburbs to downtown.

"I like to say we have no cyclists in Copenhagen," Mr. Rohl, manager of the City of Copenhagen's bicycle program, told about 200 people at the Ontario Bike Summit at the Hyatt Regency on King Street West on Tuesday. "We have citizens who use bikes to get from A to B."

There are always some people who aren’t very sympathetic to cycling. If they discover that you’re a cyclist (and rather like being one) you might find yourself having to defend any and every aspect of your transport choice, excellent as it is.

It's sometimes quite hard to come up with facts, figures and arguments on the spot, so we're hoping that our '10 Common Questions' with answers to each will help you. There are some questions that keep coming up time and time again, namely:

As our recently revamped website is now well established, we’re phasing out the Smartmovez website. The transport information you used to access through SmartMovez is being transferred to the NZTA website.

The new look Transport Data section features a simpler layout and more intuitive menu design. We plan to continue improving the data, reports and other tools that we provide. Watch this space for further updates on transport data.

There's no question cycling provides physical benefits for children but, critically, it helps them make decisions and develop skills they need to survive later on in life, a clinical psychologist says.

Nigel Latta, who also presents The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show on television, says unfortunately, modern parenting dictates an over-prescription of caution and supervision, especially when it comes to learning how to ride a bike and some children never feel the achievement of making decisions for themselves.

There are two give-way rules that have changed.

Change 1: The left-turn versus right-turn rule

From 5am on 25 March 2012, this new rule will require all traffic turning right to give way to a vehicle coming from the opposite direction and turning left. This applies at cross roads, T-intersections and driveways where both vehicles are facing each other with no signs or signals, or the same signs or signals.

Abstract

A  basic  premise  in  this  report  is  that  cycling  should  be  encouraged  because  as  the  number  of  cyclists  increases,  the  attention of  motorists  and  safety  improves;;  however,  an  important  caveat  is  that  the  number  of  cyclists  has  to  be  commensurate  with  the infrastructure  built  for  cycling  to  enhance  their  safety.

And with even The Guardian recommending people sign up to The Times' #cyclesafe campaign, it's clear we've crossed the rubicon.

Helmets and hi-vis clothing dominated the Taylor River reserve yesterday morning as nearly 100 people joined Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman for a bike ride as part of Bikewise month.

The cyclists rode from Seymour Square, in Blenheim, to Rifle Range Pl at the foot of the Wither Hills, where they had a free BBQ and a bicycle skills course for younger riders.

Seven-year-old Saskia Bray led the charge with Mr Sowman as both rode in front of the other cyclists along the route.

Designboom shows this bike shelf from Chris Brigham, a graphic designer gone 3D and now making furniture under the name Knife and Saw. . Living in San Francisco and visiting friends in New York, he "noticed that there is a void when it comes to elegant bike management." He's right; this would be perfect for LifeEdited.

Bikes always get in the way - either in the hall, or leaning up against a bookshelf or something. So, I decided to design something to fix that problem. Until I think of a better name, I am calling it the Bike Shelf.

Secure bike sheds are to be introduced to residential streets in Edinburgh as part of a new scheme aimed at encouraging people to take up cycling.

The city council has announced plans for a £50,000 pilot scheme that will see six new bicycle storage facilities introduced to streets dominated by tenement flats, where residents often struggle to find safe places to keep their bikes.

It is part of a range of measures by the council aimed at increasing the number of people that use bikes to get around the city rather than other more polluting modes of transport.