Winter 2018

Welcome, , to Chainlinks and thanks for all your support so far.

, 2018's turning out to be a pretty good year for people who use bikes. 

Spending on cycling is set to increase, and Government's making all the right noises about creating safer roads and streets for all, particularly people on bikes.

But will we see the changes we really need to be - and feel - safe while biking? CAN is campaigning hard to support the right policies: Almost 12,000 of you signed our petition for safer speed limits, safer driving, and a good standard of bike lanes. With other experts we've analysed Government Policy, gathered evidence, and liaised with Transport Ministers and the NZTA.

However bikelash, media myths and self-interested lobby groups are threatening to delay or disrupt progress, so we need to keep up the pressure. 

This is where you can help. Please Volunteer directly for CAN or through your local advocacy group, become a member (and sign up your friends!) donate, or just like us online!

So park your cold wet bike for a minute, put the jug on and enjoy our articles about how we can collaborate to get more people on bikes more often.

Nga mihi nui for Matariki from all at CAN.

Contents:

NZ's new Government Policy Statement on Transport

A Long Ride- One Man's Tour Aotearoa for CAN

Vision Zero gains ground in Christchurch

Love Cycling Wellington Awards report

News:

Cycling Skills Education System launching

Weblinks:

• The Big Bike Debate
• $100m for Tauranga cycling
• ...and more 

Events & Notices:

Use your skills - volunteer for CAN

The 'All-Powerful Bike Lobby' Gathers: CAN-Do Workshop July 29

2Walk&CycleConference July 30-Aug 1

CAN's AGM Notification for June 20th

Shop for ethically sourced, kiwi-designed T-shirts 
 

About Cycling Action Network

CAN works with government, local authorities, businesses and the community on behalf of cyclists, to enhance communities by getting more people on bikes more often.  

Our Local Groups carry out the crucial work of advocacy for a better deal for people on bikes at Councils and on the streets around NZ.

Claire Sherrington (CAN's awesome Secretary and Deputy Chair) drafted CAN's Work Plan for 2018. Claire's mantra is SKIP: Safety for cyclists, get Kids biking; build good Infrastructure and wield Political influence.

Have a look at the Work Plan on our website, and let us have your comments and suggestions.

SOME OF CAN'S WORK STREAMS: 

• CAN created and runs Share the Road Campaign, putting truckies and bus drivers on bikes, and cyclists in the seat of a heavy vehicle, to increase empathy & improve attitudes on the road.
• CAN co-manages the 2Walk&Cycle annual conference series. 
• CAN runs the major NZ Bike Expo event (put it on your calendar now!)
• CAN is represented on the World Cycling Alliance and the Cycling and Walking Australia & New Zealand panel
• CAN has a 20-year record of relationship-building in local and national networks.

You can also join the discussions on our Facebook page and Discussion Group

You backed the draft Government Policy Statement - thanks! Now, what will it mean to you?

The Government Policy Statement on Land Transport sets out Government's priorities and broadly allocates transport spending. It's revised every three years.

Minister of Transport Phil Twyford and Associate Ministers Julie-Anne Genter (above) and Shane Jones have a positive vision for transport. CAN broadly supported the draft, with some suggestions on improvements.

Thanks to all of you who made submissions by the consultation deadline of May 2nd. More info and links to detailed analysis here.

A Long Ride- One Man's Tour Aotearoa for CAN

Our project manager Patrick Morgan biked to Bluff in March to raise money for CAN. Due to illness he didn't complete the North Island, but Patrick bounced back for the Picton to Bluff ride. 

Seventy-nine people donated a total of $6,367 via Givealittle. 'Thanks for your support for better biking,' he says, 'I want to update you on what your donation has made possible. In the two months I've been back from the Tour Aotearoa we've been busy...'

• Cycling continues to be a hot topic in the news. In the last few weeks I've been making our case on Newstalk, RadioLive, RNZ, Newshub and in the papers;
• In a project led by CAN volunteer Jill Ford we surveyed people on how to make our streets safer. Based on feedback, we launched a Safer Streets petition. Our 12,000-signature petition was presented to Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter. She has announced ambitious plans aimed at making our streets free from deaths and serious injuries;
• CAN volunteers made sure everyone going to the Road Safety Summit in April received information about our #safeforcycling campaign. We are keeping cycling on the agenda;
• The new transport plan for Auckland, the ATAP, is good news for cycling. I'm delighted to see strong support for it.

With a bike-friendly Government and strong public support, we have tailwinds for cycling. Some Councils are struggling to deliver, so we need to keep advocating for better cycling and safer streets. 

          - Patrick Morgan, CAN's project manager and spokesperson.

What you can do

Got skills and want to put them to good use? You can help enhance your community with CAN!

The next few years of promised Government funding for active transport will be a step change for CAN. We're looking for new core members to step up and help drive this exciting change at the national level. Volunteer positions to be filled include-

• Treasurer: Our volunteer Treasurer occupies a crucial role and is a member of the CAN board. Read more information here
• Regional Board Member: Represent your region on CAN's Board
• Drupal-savvy technical volunteer, to tend and grow our website
• Members of our Management + Executive Team to put our Board's strategy into action
• Shopkeeper to order, store, sort and send CAN's T-shirts and merchandise.

Volunteers can work from anywhere, just contact our friendly Volunteer Manager William Ho at williamh@can.org.nz. 

Bike Ready- the new system for cycle education

NZTA, ACC and consultants are working hard on a major revision and enlargement of NZ's cycling skills education system.

The new system, called Bike Ready, is due for its soft launch next month. More Kiwi kids will have skills training available to them, and training will be managed more consistently across the country.

See more from NZTA here.

Bike to the Future Awards Announced

The National Bike to the Future Awards were announced on Tuesday by CAN and NZTA.

The awards, now in their third year, are organised by the NZ Transport Agency and Cycling Action Network (CAN). They celebrate the projects and people that are actively supporting and encouraging New Zealanders’ choice to get around by bike as part of their everyday journeys.

The finalists, selected from 60 nominations, ranged from large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Te Awa River Ride - Ngāruawāhia to Horotiu section, to education initiatives including the Refugee Women’s Cycling Instruction project, one of which took place on International Women’s Day, to teach migrant and refugee women how to ride a bike. 

Read more...

Meanwhile in Wellington, there was a huge, enthusiastic turnout for the regional Love Cycling Awards in Wellington. The Awards ceremony was preceded by a parade around the streets and waterfront. A quick scroll through the list of winners and commendations shows the awe-inspiring number and quality of initiatives going on in in Wellington alone.

'Vision Zero': Getting Closer in Christchurch

As mentioned in the last Chainlinks, Hamilton City Council adopted Vision Zero as a guiding principle for transport policy there. Christchurch City Council may be next to take on this critical road-safety challenge.

Vision Zero is an approach to road safety that has, as its aim, zero fatalities or serious injuries. Representing his local residents’ association, David Hawke (a former CAN Secretary) made a presentation to Christchurch City Council last December requesting endorsement of the Vision Zero principles. 

The final result was a submission from Council to Government, signed by Mayor Lianne Dalziel, saying 'We support the vision zero principles and recommend that the national road safety targets focus on a continual reduction in deaths and serious injuries.’

Have you thought about asking your local council to endorse Vision Zero? It should be easy, following the emphasis on safety in the Draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport. Read more about Vision Zero on CAN's website.

The 'all-powerful bike lobby' gathers... 

You may have heard that phrase from those who think their City Council's in thrall to bike advocacy groups, but you'll know the reality: advocates may be skilled and hard-working, but it's the evidence and arguments that are powerful.

Make July 29 the date you learn more about both evidence and advocacy at CAN's annual Advocacy Workshop, the CAN Do in Palmerston North. CAN Do includes strategic planning, inspiring presentations, and campaigning skills training. It showcases local group achievements and activities.

• Bikes Welcome founder Jo Clendon will talk about how her campaign is getting bike parking on the radar of businesses.

• Advocate, academic and practitioner Glen Koorey will talk about Making Safer Speeds Happen in your community
• There'll be many more talks and opportunities to speak to advocates from all the regions.

CAN Do is rounded off with a fun ride, great food and drink. It will take place just before the 2WalkandCycle conference July 30 - Aug 1 in Palmerston North. Exact venue TBC but probably not an underground lair. Please check in or register on CAN's website and Facebook page for more details. 

After the CAN-Do, Come to 2Walk&Cycle Conference for the bigger picture

To understand how cycling fundamentally enhances our communities, we have to understand how it interacts with other transport modes and the urban environment.

That's why CAN works with Living Streets Aotearoa, NZ's walking advocacy group, to present the annual 2Walk&Cycle conference. This year we'll have Phil Twyford, Minsiter for Transport, giving a plenary talk.

Keynote speakers include Lucy Saunders, who will outline her work on how urban form and transport infrastructure affect public health, through encouraging - or preventing - healthy transport, air pollution, and green space. 

The conference will run July 30 - Aug 1. More info available here.

Weblinks

Cantabrians can enjoy the seventh annual winter solstice night light bike ride on July 21.

Bike Auckland's inaugural Big Bike Debate earlier this month was a roaring success.

You may have been to a Big Bike Film Night, but have you checked out Cycle Chic Film Tour? Showcasing women who push boundaries, are courageous, and are an advocate for change; all through the power of the humble bike. Starting Taupo July 27.

Pedal-powered Police! Cops on e-bike in Auckland (link to Twitter) and MTB in Wellington

CAN's Share the Road Campaign has a brand-new web domain sharetheroad.org.nz. 

Auckland's Northwestern Cycleway is suffering bike congestion.

In Greytown, the elderly are feeling the wind in their hair on a tricycle.

An International Transport Forum study examined travel behaviour by gender. Women are more likely to have shorter commute distances, to chain trips, to have more non-work related trips than men, they say (link is to a PDF).

Transport policies usually focus on the purpose of trips at destinations. What about the human pleasure of travelling, the on-the-way experiences, travelling for its own sake? A study from Tel Aviv University proposes the concept of ‘mobility capital’ or motility as a value in itself.

Cycling on the road in NZ is actually safer than horse riding, snow sports or rugby, as shown by this Auckland University study.

A gorgeous wee video describes the Safe Ways to School initiative which draws out feedback from kids and parents about their potential bike or walking route to school. With Bikes in Schools and Bike Ready training, Safe Ways to School forms a really strong 'third leg' in a strategy for getting more kids commuting by bike.

A study of 20 mph (~30km/h) speed limits in Bristol, England, showed a reduction in the number of injuries from road traffic collisions equating to estimated cost savings of over £15 million per year.

Also in England, following a tragic recent case, an independent legal expert recently recommended additional legal control of dangerous and careless cycling, saying, 'the gap between manslaughter and the historic offence of wanton and furious driving is too wide'. Cycling UK isn't convinced.

Two transport Ministers will attend the Golden Foot Walking Awards prizegiving on June 26.

Giving up your car can correlate with a nearly 3kg reduction in body mass in time -US study.

Tauranga CIty Council have voted through a $100m investment in cycling! 

Back in Christchurch, the Major Cycle Route network continues to grow: Rapanui-Shag Rock Cycleway nearing completion; work starts on Heathcote Expressway. Christchurch City Council's SmartView app shows a cute 'heat map' based on cycle count numbers.

CAN's AGM Notification

CAN Members, this is your formal notification that CAN's AGM will be held on June 20 at 7pm. 

Please see the AGM agenda here. It's critical that CAN's Board continues to have passionate, hard-working members who stand up for people on bikes, so do join in and vote.

We're holding the AGM by teleconference via the Zoom platform. Just click here to register and Zoom will email you instructions on how to join in and vote. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for a live feed of the AGM.

If you're not already a CAN member, it's simple and affordable to join! 

Grab a bargain and support your Network!

Grab one of our beautiful, sustainably-produced, kiwi-designed T-shirts!

We also have some old stock which needs to go, so our remaining 'Freedom' T-shirts and cycling vests are going at bargain rates.

Click through to our online shop or email our wonderful shopmeister Lyneke at shop@can.org.nz

KEEP INFORMED

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Cycling Action Network of New Zealand (CAN)

Our mailing address is

The views expressed in Chainlinks are not necessarily those of CAN. Some images courtesy of NZTA. Edited: Will Andrews: will@can.org.nz.