Contents:

• CAN and BikeNZ seek expressions of interest for Safer Cycling programme
• Lives saved if car drivers switch to biking- study
• Cycle and walking path on Auckland Harbour Bridge gets mayor's tick
• ...but not from NZTA
• Invest in cycling as fuel prices rise, say cyclists
• Advocates hope cycling charge will bring change
• Volunteer position available: CAN mailouts coordinator
• New cycling research from NZTA
• Road rule changes allow indicators on bikes
• Cycle lanes do reduce injuries, says study
• Weblinks

CAN and BikeNZ seek expressions of interest for Safer Cycling programme

17 March 2011- CAN and BikeNZ have been funded by the NZ Transport Agency to develop and deliver Road User Workshops and a 'Share the Road' pilot campaign. This work, plus a Cycling Skills Instructor Training programme (managed by BikeNZ) is to be undertaken between now and 30 June 2012 and will be overseen by a Joint Steering Group consisting of leaders from CAN and BikeNZ. The overall programme has been labelled by NZTA as the Safer Cycling Programme.

The CAN-managed projects (Road User Workshops and a Share The Road scoping exercise) require a range of skills and people to deliver them and the work will need careful planning to ensure it can be delivered in time and in line with the budget.

CAN is seeking expressions of interest from people interested in cycling advocacy and road safety who would like to be considered for the contract work to deliver this programme for NZTA and the wider New Zealand cycling fraternity.

More details are available on the CAN website:

http://can.org.nz/article/call-for-expressions-of-interest-in-undertaking-paid-work-for-can

Please forward by email your expression of interest to jobs@can.org.nz by 5pm, Friday 1 April 2011. We will then contact selected potential contractors with more details about task briefs and contractual arrangements.

Lives saved if car drivers switch to biking- study

13 February 2011- Getting city motorists out of their cars and on to bikes for short trips would save 100 lives in New Zealand a year, a new study says.

A paper published this month in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health said that if city people cycled instead of driving for trips of less than seven kilometres there would be 116 fewer deaths, because of the increased physical activity.

The University of Auckland's School of Population and Health study said shifting to biking would save $200 million a year in health costs.

New Zealand now has the third highest obesity rate in developed countries.

Lead author Graeme Lindsay, a cycle and bus commuter, said the health and environmental benefits of cycling far outweighed any potential dangers.

Read more here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/4649570/Lives-saved-if-car-drivers-switch-to-biking-study

Cycle and walking path on Auckland Harbour Bridge gets mayor's tick

14 February 2011- Auckland Mayor Len Brown has shown support for a cycling and walking path on the harbour bridge.

He has added the concept to strategic priorities for Auckland Transport.

The scheme has also found its way into the Auckland Council's draft master plan for developing the city centre over the next 20 years.

The former Auckland City Council withheld support for pathways on each side of the bridge after the Transport Agency estimated they would cost between $23.8 million and $42.7 million.

The Getacross campaign recently unveiled proposals for a $16 million tolled pathway cantilevered under the southbound clip-on, which is being reviewed by the agency.

Read more here:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10706133

...but not from NZTA

21 March 2011- Walking and cycling campaigners are seething over what they say is a vague report brushing off plans for a tolled pathway across Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Engineering consultancy Beca has in a half-page memo dismissed as "infeasible" a plan for a 4m-wide path under the bridge's southbound clip-on structure.

That follows what the Transport Agency acknowledges was only a limited assessment sought from Beca of 79 pages of plans and calculations prepared by another consultancy for the campaigners, who are backed by Orewa-based coastal developers Hopper Developments. Bevan Woodward, spokesman for the Getacross Campaign, is accusing the agency and Beca of bending over backwards to frustrate the hopes of thousands of Aucklanders for a non-motorised link over the Waitemata Harbour.

"I feel they are not bringing a can-do attitude to this and are looking for reasons to say no," he said.

Read more here:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/cycling/news/article.cfm?c_id=31&objectid=10713908

Invest in cycling as fuel prices rise, say cyclists

17 February 2011- The Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) and Bike NZ say it has never been more urgent for government and business to invest in cycling.

As petrol crosses the $2 mark more people are looking for alternatives to driving.

CAN spokesperson Patrick Morgan says the New Zealand Cycle Trails is an excellent start, but local councils and central government need to shift up a gear to soften the impacts of high fuel prices.

"We urge councils to meet the demand for safe and convenient cycling by developing cycling plans, and investing in cycleways, traffic reduction, bike parking, cyclist training, and driver education."

Mr Morgan says business can play a part too.

"Some workplaces provide secure bike parking, fleet bikes, and changing facilities for staff. These are great ways to encouraging people to bike, and to lower travel bills. Every person on a bike means one less car. More biking is good for business."

CAN and Bike NZ are working on programmes aimed at getting more people riding, more often.

Cycle skills training to ensure everyone has the opportunity to undertake training that would include understanding the road rules and what responsible riding means.

A national "share the road" campaign for drivers and cyclists - to teach drivers how to drive near cyclists and cyclists how to ride near cars.

Workshops for truck and bus drivers, where drivers and cyclists swap seats to learn about driving and cycling issues.

"We need continuous cycleways through our cities, and wide shoulders on key rural roads," says Mr Morgan.

Cycling costs 7 cents a kilometre compared to about 60 cents for a car. Cycling provides exercise that helps keeps people fit, healthy and happy, so reducing costs to the health system. Cycling also decreases pollution and congestion, both of which cost New Zealand over a billion dollars each per year.

Mr Morgan says rising fuel prices are driving people out of their cars - and they are rediscovering the convenience and fun of cycling.

"New Zealanders love cycling. Bikes outsell cars, and there are 1.3 million people already riding for recreation, fitness and pleasure."

"Many would like to use their bikes to get to work, school or the shops, but are deterred by traffic or perceptions of safety."

"With high fuel prices here to stay we need to ensure cycling is a viable choice."

Advocates hope cycling charge will bring change

16 March 2011- Cycling advocates are hopeful the criminal charge against a motorist involved in a fatal cycling incident will force people to be more careful on the roads.

A 35-year-old man will appear in the Auckland District Court tomorrow charged with careless use of a motor vehicle causing the death of 27-year-old Jane Mary Bishop.

Bishop, who was on a working holiday from the UK, was killed on Auckland's Tamaki Drive after a car opened its door, forcing her to take evasive action. She was hit by a truck.

Read more here:

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/advocates-hope-cycling-charge-bring-change-4065439

Volunteer position available: CAN mailouts coordinator

CAN is looking for a volunteer to take on the position of mailouts coordinator. This role involves coordinating mailouts to the CAN membership- primarily sending out the Chainlinks magazine to its eager readers. If you fancy brightening the day of your fellow CAN members in that way, let us know by emailing secretary@can.org.nz.

The job takes about 6 hours for each issue of Chainlinks (three times a year). You'll need a computer and printer, internet and access to a Post Shop- other than that, the role could be done from any location within NZ. No particular experience is necessary.

Want to know more? A full role description is available here:

http://can.org.nz/book/can-committee-staff-and-portfolio-members-handbook/can-role-descriptions/mailouts-co-ordinator

New cycling research from NZTA

'I'll just take the car': Improving bicycle transportation to encourage its use on short trips

Cycling for transport in New Zealand is a minority activity, yet the recreational cycling market is growing. The car is the most popular choice of travel mode by far. There is a clear desire to encourage more practical cycling in New Zealand, but limited understanding of who will be the next practical cyclists and how to encourage them. This research, from July 2008 to June 2010, applied the affective design methodology to the goal of increasing practical cycling in New Zealand. A literature review revealed that overseas best practice is for integrated local cycling policies. Theories of diffusion of innovations and contemplation of change were highlighted and used to inform the project. A review of the New Zealand cycling market showed limited choice of and access to practical cycling tools. A survey of 234 New Zealand cyclists and non-cyclists demonstrated differences between the groups in perception of bicycles and cyclists, with more agreement for unfamiliar practical cyclists and bicycles. Practical workshops explored the effect of direct cycling experience on perceptions. A 'practical cycling system design model' was proposed, along with recommendations for its implementation.

Download the report here: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/426/

Walking and cycling: improving combined use of physical activity/health and transport data

SPARC's Active New Zealand Survey (ANZS) is a high-quality nationwide survey of over 4000 adults collected through face-to-face interviews over 12 months in 2007/08. Although collected mainly to measure levels of sport/recreation activity and to quantify physical activity in general, it includes data of interest to the transport sector on walking and cycling.

This report uses the ANZS data to meet the following transport-related objectives:

• quantifying how much walking/cycling by New Zealand adults is done mainly for transport purposes compared with sport/recreation purposes
• quantifying the proportion of New Zealand adults meeting key health guideline for physical activity through active transport alone, and the proportion for whom active transport makes a clear contribution to them meeting such guidelines
• Establishing whether SPARC’s ANZS and the Ministry of Transport’s NZ Household Travel Survey deliver broadly comparable estimates of transport-related walking and cycling
• recommending refinements to collection, analysis, and interpretation of transport and physical activity/health data for the benefit of both sectors.

Download the report here: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/435/

Road rule changes allow indicators on bikes

10 March 2011- Sticking your hand out into traffic is no longer the only signalling option for cyclists after the Government cleared the way for indicators on bicycles.

New vehicle lighting rules that come into force on April 1 will allow cyclists to attach brake and indicator lights. Until now, a white headlight and a red rear-facing light have been the only lights cyclists were allowed to show. Indicator and brake lights were not specifically banned, but were not included on the list of legal bicycle lighting.

The New Zealand Transport Authority said the changes accommodated advances in technology and brought New Zealand in line with international practice.

Cycling Advocates' Network spokesman Patrick Morgan said it was a sensible move but unlikely to make roads safer for cyclists.

"Our advice to people is that a good clear hand signal to let other people know what you're doing is the best option. Don't just rely on indicators."

Read more here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4750531/Road-rule-changes-allow-indicators-on-bikes

Cycle lanes do reduce injuries, says study

10 February 2011- The risk of injury for cyclists riding on Montreal bike paths is about 28 per cent lower than for cyclists riding on comparable Montreal roads unprotected from traffic, according to a new study published in an international peer-reviewed journal for health professionals.

That riding on separated bike paths is safer than riding in traffic may seem obvious, but there is growing debate in the United States and in some Canadian cities about whether bike paths provide a false sense of security and therefore increase risk, especially at intersections where cyclists are unprotected.

Read more here:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Bike+paths+reduce+injuries+study/4255360/story.html

Weblinks

I am not slowing you down:

http://bostonbiker.org/2011/02/01/lets-make-one-thing-clear-i-am-not-slowing-you-down

Moving beyond the automobile: another clip from Streetfilms, showing how improvements in biking infrastructure in the US has resulted in exponential growth in cycling:

http://vimeo.com/19807526

Ride 4 a Woman: bike workshops for women in Uganda:

http://www.ecf.com/4187_1

Armchair bike touring game: cycle touring without the cycling bit:

http://www.biketouringtips.com/ArmchairBikeTouring

Spoke'n'Word: watch the video of the final leg of this storytelling bicycle adventure from Waiheke to Wellington:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avy9O-lIYLM

Ride Out of the Blue: a Bluff-to-Cape-Reinga fundraising ride to raise awareness of depression and money for the Mental Health Foundation:

http://www.rideoutoftheblue.co.nz/

The Robin Hood of New York: Janette Sadik-Khan's sustainable transport transformation of New York City:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2011/jan/05/new-york-transportation-chief

Cycle lanes in Los Angeles: the 'city of angels' plans 1600 miles of new bike lanes to make LA cycle friendly:

http://road.cc/content/news/31951-los-angeles-plans-1600-mile-cycle-lane-network

NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide: from the US National Association of City Transportation Officials:

http://nacto.org/cities-for-cycling/design-guide/

Cycling Aspects of Austroads Guides: missing the good old Austroads Part 14 guide to building cycling infrastructure? Here's the updated equivalent:

https://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/items/AP-G88-11

How bicycling will save the economy (if we let it):

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-02-28-how-bicycling-will-save-the-economy

About e.CAN

e.CAN is distributed approximately every 4 weeks to CAN members, Friends of CAN 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 .

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!

We also welcome donations to support our work. You can donate online at: http://can.org.nz/donate

address: PO Box 6491, Auckland email: secretary@can.org.nz
website: http://www.can.org.nz