Contents: - CAN Cycle-Friendly Awards 2009- get your nominations in! - NZ Cycling Conference and CAN Do 2009 - register now! - NZ cycling advocates ride on World Carfree Day - BikeNZ launches 1.5m to survive challenge - Auckland 'Urban rides' excite planners - 'I want to ride my bike': overcoming barriers to cycling to intermediate schools - Job vacancy at Living Streets - Copenhagen to spend $47 million on cycle highways - Surge in cycle commuting in USA - Cycle lanes encourage motorists to drive closer to bikes, says study - Weblinks ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CAN CYCLE-FRIENDLY AWARDS 2009- LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR NOMINATIONS IN! Don't forget- nominations for the CAN Cycle-Friendly Awards 2009 close on Friday 18th September, so get them in now. The five awards categories are: 1. Avanti award for best cycle facility project; 2. NZ Transport Agency award for best cycling promotion; 3. NZ Transport Agency award for cycle-friendly commitment by a business; 4. ViaStrada award for cycle-friendly commitment by a public organisation and 5. Taranaki Regional Council Award for cycling champion of the year Kiwis are being asked to put forward their favourite cycling projects or cycling champions for the Awards. Projects need to have been undertaken or completed between January 2008 and June 2009. Awards will be presented at the NZ Cycling Conference 2009, on Thursday 12th November. Winners will receive a uniquely designed "bicycle-bell" trophy, and a certificate. 'Early bird' nomination received by Friday 4th September will be entered into the draw for the nominating person to win a $150 Ground Effect gift voucher. Nominations are due by Friday 18th September. For further information, visit the CAN web site http://www.can.org.nz/awards to download entry forms. Complete and email to: awards@can.org.nz or post to: CAN CFA09, P.O. Box 6491, Auckland. Contact Cycle-Friendly Awards Co-ordinator, Gaz Sanvicens, 021-023 1 5758, awards@can.org.nz ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NZ CYCLING CONFERENCE AND CAN DO 2009 - REGISTER NOW! The 7th NZ Cycling Conference is coming to New Plymouth on November 12-13 this year. A packed programme of speakers from New Zealand and overseas has been arranged for this biennial event. And for cycling advocates, the annual "CAN Do" workshop follows immediately after on the weekend of 14-15 November. More details on the CAN Do can be found at http://www.can.org.nz/2009-can-do. The conference website is just being updated with more about this must-do event, including draft programme and registration info. So go to http://www.can.org.nz/conference/2009 for all the details. See you there! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NZ CYCLING ADVOCATES RIDE ON WORLD CARFREE DAY 13 September 2009- Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) is calling on all cyclists to hit the roads on Tuesday 22nd September 2009 as part of a global event where people take a holiday from their cars. CAN calls on people to go by cycle, foot, bus or train instead of driving - starting with just this one day. Since its earliest incarnations in the 1970s and '80s, WORLD CARFREE DAY has grown into a massive global celebration of human-centric communities and people-powered transportation. The day reminds people that cycling is healthy, convenient, quick, cheap, stylish, very social and lots of fun. World Carfree Day 2009 could turn out to be the biggest yet. As the world tunes in to the fact that the climate is heating up, this is the perfect opportunity to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of oil-hungry automobiles. In New Zealand, cycling on World Carfree Day also shows how many Kiwis would welcome the chance to ride the Great New Zealand Cycle Way and use its related amenities. It's a show of strength for cycling. So go carfree on Tuesday 22nd September, and then carry on being carfree in your everyday life. Let's make the World Carfree Day a showcase for just how our cities might look, feel, and sound without cars - 365 days a year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BIKENZ LAUNCHES 1.5M TO SURVIVE CHALLENGE 3 September 2009- Would you stand on the edge of a busy road with your back turned towards a 30 tonne articulated truck as it drives towards you at 100km/h, knowing it's going to pass within a metre of you? Plain lunacy? Well, BikeNZ is appealing to all New Zealanders to consider this frightening challenge. BikeNZ CEO Kieran Turner acknowledges that few in their right mind would want to take up this challenge, yet this is what cyclists, who now number over one third of the population, face every single day BikeNZ is now asking for 1.5m when passing a cyclist to become law. "We're appealing to the New Zealand public for support and to sign the 1.5m to survive petition at http://www.ridestrong.org.nz. Would you let your husband, wife, daughter or son cycle on our roads knowing there are no rules as to how close cars and trucks pass?" says Mr Turner. Read more here: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0909/S00040.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AUCKLAND 'URBAN RIDES' EXCITE PLANNERS 4 September 2009- Three potential "great urban rides" through Auckland streets are being considered for hitching the city to the Government's $50 million national cycleway. Visitors and local recreational cyclists may be offered a choice between a Ponsonby heritage route, a "volcanic" ride past Mt Eden and Mt Hobson, and a circuit taking in sea air from Waitemata Harbour as an antidote to traffic fumes. A joint proposal from Cycle Action Auckland and the Nextbike hire company drew an enthusiastic response yesterday from the city council's transport committee, which has asked staff to investigate reallocating budgets to carry it forward. Read more here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10595087 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'I WANT TO RIDE MY BIKE': OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO CYCLING TO INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS 9 September 2009- NZ Transport Agency has recently published a report investigating the barriers to cycling at intermediate schools. Transport modes such as walking and cycling, including cycling to school, could play a key role in combating obesity, climate change and traffic congestion as well as restoring 'social capital' within communities. The objective of this research was to identify the specific barriers to school students cycling to school for six intermediate schools and recommend interventions that would be effective, acceptable to parents and schools, and favourable to school students for each of the schools. These specific barriers and solutions were then used to identify common themes, issues and solutions that might be considered at a national level, and give more confidence to those who are responsible for considering and acting on school cycling initiatives. Four stages of data collection were carried out including the collection of existing school travel information, site visits, interviews, focus groups and questionnaires. In order to overcome barriers to cycling to school it is proposed that the development of genuinely safe and attractive school cycle networks, cycle training, effective bike storage and the continued implementation of slow zones around schools (or widespread lower speed limits) be implemented or given higher priority. Download the report here: http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/research/reports/index.html#travel ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JOB VACANCY AT LIVING STREETS 9 September 2009- Living Streets Aotearoa (our sister organisation for walking advocates) is looking for an experienced community development networker to replace their staff member in Auckland, who will be away for five months. They are looking for someone with the ability to support and develop their groups in Auckland City, North Shore, Waitakere, and Manukau, to motivate and enthuse volunteers, and to establish and maintain effective networks and relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in the Auckland region. This is a half-time (20 hours/week) fixed term contract position from 5th October 2009 to 19th February 2010 based in Living Streets' Auckland office in Freeman's Bay, and involving working flexible hours, and travelling around the Auckland region. More information here: http://www.livingstreets.org.nz/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=245&qid=18312 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COPENHAGEN TO SPEND $47 MILLION ON CYCLE HIGHWAYS 27 August 2009- Capital of Denmark Copenhagen is planning to enhance its cycling credentials with a major network of 13 cycle routes around the city, according to blog Copenhagenize.com. The city is aiming to swell the numbers of cycle commuters - which already includes 55 per cent of the city's citizens - and attract those that travel between seven and 15 km to travel to work in the area. The lanes, which are expected to cost $47million (250 million kroner), will boast a number of features, including: - Cycle 'service stations' along all routes with air and tools - Smooth even surfaces that are free of leaves, ice and snow - Routes that are as direct as possible with no detours - Sufficient width to overtake other cyclists and the chance to maintain high speeds ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SURGE IN CYCLE COMMUTING IN USA 18 August 2009- Trek president John Burke says bicycle commuting and recreational cycling have surged in the United States in recent years, and he has the numbers to prove it. Cities such as Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California are reporting enormous increases in commuter traffic. Federal spending on bicycle infrastructure (bike lanes, paths, signage, etc.) will top US$1.4 billion in 2009 - up from a few hundred million just five years ago, official Bicycle Friendly Community municipal applications to the League of American Bicyclists have more than doubled in two years, and there are now 5,200 schools enrolled in the Safe Routes to School programme. Read more here: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/surge-in-cycle-commuting-in-usa-22805/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CYCLE LANES ENCOURAGE MOTORISTS TO DRIVE CLOSER TO BIKES, SAYS STUDY 10 September 2009- Cycle lanes can make roads more dangerous for cyclists because they encourage motorists to drive closer when overtaking bicycles, a study has found. Drivers give cyclists a wider berth on roads where there is no lane because they assume that they should share the road and make more allowance for the risk of wobbles. The study, conducted by Leeds and Bolton universities, challenges the approach taken by many local authorities, which is to promote cycling by painting cycle lanes and cycle symbols on their roads. It suggests that reducing the speed and volume of traffic would be more effective in improving cycle safety than narrow cycle lanes. Read more here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6828100.ece ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEBLINKS - Carla and Henriette Hochdorfer: more people doing things on bikes that really shouldn't be possible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b36Yi-Pb1wM - Yike Bike: Kiwi inventor Grant Ryan's radical new electric folding bike: http://www.3news.co.nz/Yike-Bike-to-revolutionise-urban-transport-/tabid/412/articleID/119443/cat/73/Default.aspx - Bicycling Life's bicycle commuter's guide: http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/commuteguide.htm - Commuter bicycle conversions and tips: http://www.commuterbicycle.com/  - Urban cycling photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/urbancycling/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. Sign up to CAN online via credit card at http://www.can.org.nz/join-can/. Join us! ABOUT e.CAN e.CAN is distributed approximately every 1-2 weeks to CAN members and other interested people. CAN members also get our bi-monthly magazine, ChainLinks. To check back issues of e.CAN, go to http://www.can.org.nz/ecan . To subscribe or unsubscribe from e.CAN, go to http://www.can.org.nz/joinfriend . If you're getting e.CAN via a local 'Friends' Yahoo group (e.g. Friends of Cycle Aware Wellington, Bike Taupo), and you want to unsubscribe, use the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of this email.