Contents:
- Ways to reduce cycle deaths probed
- Three month deadline on harbour bridge walkway
- Cycle event over Auckland Harbour Bridge approved
- Volunteer position available: CAN mailouts coordinator
- Otago Central Rail Trail still going strong
- New NZTA research
- Radical EU transport plan unveiled
- Benefit of cycle helmet downgraded by study
- Post-tsunami cycling surge in Tokyo
- Cycling on the increase in Sydney
- New research says bikers are more alert
- EU meets to discuss how to promote cargo cycling
- Weblinks
Ways to reduce cycle deaths probed
24 May 2011- Ways to reduce cycling deaths on New Zealand roads are to be examined in a coroner's inquest later this year.
Waikato coroner Gordon Matenga will travel to four regions to hear evidence relating to eight cycling deaths, starting in Palmerston North on July 21.
Travelling to different regions meant family members and witnesses could attend inquests and would allow for greater input from the cycling community, Matenga said.
"These deaths are an absolute tragedy and we must do everything we can to uncover any lessons or measures that can help avoid them in the future."
The inquiry was announced by Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean late last year.
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5047088/Ways-to-reduce-cycle-deaths-probed
Three month deadline on harbour bridge walkway
5 May 2011- Engineers are being given three months to produce a technically feasible plan for walking and cycling across the Auckland Harbour Bridge, or face more protests on the bridge.
The Auckland Council has agreed to chair a technical steering group comprising representatives of council organisations including Auckland Transport, the Transport Agency, and bridge crossing campaigners to reach a solution in that time.
Auckland Mayor Len Brown vowed on Tuesday to the council's transport committee - which supported participating in the group by eight votes to three - that "the world's most liveable city is certainly going to be the world's most walkable city".
"I can see no reason at all why the Transport Agency would stand in the way of progressing this project for appropriate assessment," he said of a proposal by the campaigners for a user-pays walking and cycling pathway to be strapped under the bridge's citybound clip-on structure.
Read more here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/cycling/news/article.cfm?c_id=31&objectid=10723543
Cycle event over Auckland Harbour Bridge approved
26 April 2011- Cyclists will soon have an opportunity to ride over the Auckland Harbour Bridge as part of an event which could become a new addition to the city's events calender.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has approved a request for the bridge to be used for a new cycling event, the ClipOnChallenge, which could attract as many as 9000 competitors.
The event, planned for Sunday, November 13, will involve the closure of the two southbound clip-on lanes on the Harbour Bridge, and the closure of the Northern Busway.
Cyclists will begin at the Westhaven Marina in the Wynyard Quarter and ride a 115km route to the Trusts Stadium in Waitakere.
Read more here:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/157758/cycle-event-over-auckland-harbour-bridge-approved
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:
Otago Central Rail Trail still going strong
23 May 2011- The popularity of the Otago Central Rail Trail shows no signs of waning. More than 120 people attended the first workshop on the future of the trail, held at Omakau on Friday, and were told user numbers had increased for the past two years.
DoC Central Otago manager Mike Tubbs said electronic counters along the trail recorded user numbers. Figures for the use of the whole trail were based on an average over four "remote" locations, where people were likely to travel if they were completing the entire trail.
The number of people using the trail in the year ending June 30, 2010 was 12,157, compared with 10,058 the previous year. In the past seven years, an increase was recorded each year except 2008-09, when the number declined by 880 on the previous year.
Read more here:
http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/alexandra/161630/rail-trail-still-proving-popular
New NZTA research
25 May 2011- Two new research reports from NZTA that may be of interest:
Slow zones: their impact on mode choices and travel behaviour
'Slow zones' affect driving speeds, but do they also affect travel choices (e.g. modal shift)?
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/438/
Generation of walking, cycling and public transport trips: pilot study
This research investigated a method for collecting data relating to walk, cycle and public transport trips to land-use activities:
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/439/
Radical EU transport plan unveiled
28 March 2011- Petrol and diesel-driven cars should be banned from cities across Europe by 2050 to slash dependence on oil and tackle climate change, the European Commission said today.
A sweeping transport plan to be put to EU governments insists that phasing out "conventionally fuelled" cars by then is not an assault on personal mobility.
Coupled with proposals and targets covering road, rail and air travel, the Commission says its transformation of the European transport system can increase mobility and cut congestion and emissions.
EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said: "The widely held belief that you need to cut mobility to fight climate change is simply not true. Competitive transport systems are vital for Europe's ability to compete in the world, for economic growth, job creation and for people's everyday quality of life."
He insisted: "Curbing mobility is not an option; neither is business as usual. We can break the transport system's dependence on oil without sacrificing its efficiency and compromising mobility. It can be win-win."
Read more here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/radical-eu-transport-plan-unveiled-2255518.html
Benefit of cycle helmet downgraded by study
11 April 2011- Contentious new research concludes that cycle helmets do not protect riders from injuries as much as previously thought, but a New Zealand expert urges cyclists to keep their lids on.
Various reviews have found wearing a helmet - compulsory in New Zealand since 1994 - reduces by at least 60 per cent the risk of head injury in a crash.
But now political scientist Dr Rune Elvik, of Norway's Institute of Transport Economics, has recalculated the head injury risk reduction at 43 per cent.
Further, he argues, recent studies show that when head, face and neck injuries are counted together, there is "no net protective effect" from wearing a helmet, because they actually increase the risk of neck injuries.
Read more here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/cycling/news/article.cfm?c_id=31&objectid=10718438
Post-tsunami cycling surge in Tokyo
18 April 2011- Since March 11, when an earthquake devastated northern Japan and rattled the Tokyo metropolitan area, the streets have teemed with wobbly new bikers pedaling their way to work.
"The increase was sudden and visible," said Shigeki Kobayashi, director of the Bicycle Usage Promotion Study Group, a nonprofit organization that promotes usage of bicycles in Tokyo.
Over the past 20 years, more commuters in urban areas like Tokyo have been switching gears and choosing to bicycle to work instead of using trains and cars, citing concerns for health, environment, costs and an escape from packed trains. The catastrophe last month has now converted some of the holdouts by proving one more benefit to cycling: you have a means to go home when the trains stop moving.
Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/business/global/18iht-rbog-bicycle-18.html?_r=4
Cycling on the increase in Sydney
30 April 2011- Despite recent threats from the newly-elected New South Wales State Government, cycling is booming in Sydney, Australia's largest city.
Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP has announced today that there has been a 60 per cent increase on the city's new cycleways during the morning. New data also showed a 48 per cent increase during the afternoon over the past 12 months.
"The figures confirm that most riders use our cycleways to commute to and from work, so during peak hours in the morning and evening they are used heavily. Congestion on our roads is heaviest across the state during peak hours so the more people who ride during those times, the bigger the impact on reducing traffic and congestion," she said.
Read more here:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cycling-on-the-increase-in-sydney
New research says bikers are more alert
24 March 2011- Bike riders are more alert and aware of road space and the traffic environment than are drivers, a new research project has found.
Riders, with their high position and 180 degrees unimpeded vision, not only see a wider perspective, but also observed further ahead in a line of traffic. Most cyclists used this perspective to plan for their next moves in the traffic, but it also serves to alert them to likely road situations within the next few minutes.
However from the drivers' perspective, this increased awareness could be seen as risky riding because the driver, with a poorer view, had comparatively less understanding of the road ahead.
The findings come from a study which used cameras on helmets and inside cars to record journeys in Melbourne. Participants were also asked to comment on tape about what they were observing on the road.
Read more here:
http://www.bv.com.au/general/bikes-and-riding/92843/
EU meets to discuss how to promote cargo cycling
17 May 2011- This week, from May 16-20, representatives from NGOs, the government, private sector business and industry analysis firms will convene in Copenhagen, Denmark to share various opportunities for advancing the shift of goods and services transportation to non-motorized modes in European cities. The upcoming meeting will determine the routes that the "CYCLE Logistics" project will take in forwarding its ultimate 2014 goal of saving 1,300 tons of fuel, putting 2,000 more cargo cycles into use in European Union (EU) cities, and shift 10,000 trips to intermodal transport chains (bicycles and tricycles used with other modes of transportation).
Read more here:
http://quij.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/the-eu-meets-to-discuss-how-to-promote-cargo-cycling/
Weblinks
The NZ Cycle Trail: now has its own website:
Asia Pacific Cycle Congress: to be held in Brisbane, 18-21 September 2011:
The Daily Bike:
http://www.adventure-journal.com/2011/04/the-daily-bike-april-19-2011/
Local bike paths mean higher house prices:
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/rooted/2011/05/03/local-bike-paths-mean-higher-house-prices/
Has Britain reached 'peak car'?:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/features/is-this-the-end-of-the-car-2286616.html
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 1141 email: secretary@can.org.nzwebsite: http://www.can.org.nz