Contents:
- CAN Do 2011: register now!
- Cycle Friendly Awards: get your nominations in
- Harbour Bridge path plans unveiled
- Push to encourage cycling in Palmerston North
- 40 km/h limit on 100 Hamilton streets
- Bike sharing boosts fitness, environment, study suggests
- Dutch Cycling Embassy releases inspirational video, launches website
- Cycling gives UK economy 3 billion pound boost
- Fear of seeming weird putting people off cycling
- London transport boss calls for 'century of cycling'
- China falls back in love with the bicycle
- New 'bicycle roads' in Korea
- Weblinks
CAN Do 2011: register now!
The CAN Do, our annual get-together of cycling advocates from around NZ, is being held in Nelson this year, over the weekend of 29-30 October.
There'll be workshops and other sessions for advocates to learn more about what's been happening in other parts of the country, share what they've been doing themselves, and take new skills, ideas and enthusiasm back home. Plus plenty of good food, drink and some bike rides in Nelson. There is also an optional two-day cycle tour afterwards, from Nelson to Picton including the lovely Queen Charlotte Drive.
The CAN AGM for 2011 will be held as part of the CAN Do on 29 October.
Early bird registration closes 16 October, so get your registration in now! This year you can register and pay online.
For more information or to register, visit:
http://can.org.nz/article/can-do-2011
Cycle Friendly Awards: get your nominations in
The 2012 Cycle Friendly Awards nominations are now open. They cover projects completed between 1 June 2010 to 30 June 2011 - nominations are due by 2 December 2011. Early bird nominations by 31 October 2011 go in the draw to win a Cactus Witness bag.
Here's your chance to recognise best efforts to promote cycling anywhere in New Zealand!
The awards ceremony will be held in Hastings on 23 February 2012 as part of the 2 Walk and Cycle national active transport conference.
More information and nomination forms here:
http://can.org.nz/article/cycle-friendly-awards-2012-nominations
Harbour Bridge path plans unveiled
25 August 2011- Movers and shakers in a project which could see a multi-million dollar pathway attached to the Auckland Harbour Bridge include two high profile Rodney residents.
They are Silverdale developer Leigh Hopper of Hopper Developments and Pt Wells cycling advocate and transport planner Bevan Woodward.
If successful the project will see cyclists and pedestrians crossing the harbour bridge regularly for the first time since it opened in 1959.
Cyclists also get the chance to cross during a special event on December 11.
The design, costing $23 million to $31 million, would see a four-metre wide, 1km long pathway, with night lighting and observation decks, attached to the underside of the south bound clip-on.
Tolling of around $2 to $5 for access to the completed pathway will see it undertaken without taxpayer or council rates contributions.
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/5504582/Harbour-Bridge-path-plans-unveiled
Push to encourage cycling in Palmerston North
13 September 2011- Palmerston North has shifted up a gear in its claim to make Manawatu the best place in New Zealand to ride a bike.
On the eve of Waikato's last chance to clinch its bid for the national cycling centre of excellence, or forfeit to Manawatu or Auckland, the city council's planning and policy committee has adopted a plan to make bikes the preferred mode of transport.
Unveiling of the plan comes close on the heels of Manawatu's selection as the host for the former Tour of Wellington elite men's cycling classic.
It is a plan with $2.3 million worth of cycling-related projects already approved in the annual plan, a further $7m in the long-term plan, and several "highly visible and obvious" projects that could be completed quite quickly.
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/5613515/Push-to-encourage-cycling
40 km/h limit on 100 Hamilton streets
23 September 2011- The speed limit on more than 100 streets in Hamilton is to be reduced to 40km/h from next month as part of a project aimed at protecting vulnerable road users.
The move, approved by Hamilton city councillors this week, is part of the national demonstration project for safer speed areas and makes the city one of the first in New Zealand to reduce the speed limit on suburban streets.
A Hamilton City Council spokeswoman said the city had wanted for a long time to reduce vehicle speeds around schools and on other streets which had a high number of vulnerable road users.
"Almost every school in the city is now part of a 40 km/h speed zone and this demonstration project means that Hamilton will be one of the first places in the country to introduce 40km/h speed limits in areas other than around schools."
Read more here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10753727
Bike sharing boosts fitness, environment, study suggests
6 August 2011- Public bicycle sharing schemes such as Barcelona's Bicing program or London's Boris Bikes save lives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study released Friday.
Bike schemes are becoming increasingly popular in cities around the world, with more than 360 already running, but their main aim is usually to ease congestion rather than boost health.
Researchers at the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona found in a study, however, that around 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution are averted and some 12 lives saved each year by Barcelona's scheme, which was introduced in March 2007.
Read more here:
Dutch Cycling Embassy releases inspirational video, launches website
27 September 2011- Last week, a team of Dutch experts led a series of Think Bike workshops in four U.S. cities, including San Francisco, to help advocates and planners design the bike infrastructure of the future. Cities across the globe continue to look to the Netherlands for inspiration, and guidance, and that demand is being embraced by a unique organization known as the Dutch Cycling Embassy.
The embassy is comprised of bike ambassadors from non-profits, private companies, bike manufacturers and local and national governments in the Netherlands. It recently released a new video that beautifully tells the story of how the bicycle became a part of everyday life in the Netherlands.
For more information, see the embassy's website:
[From http://sf.streetsblog.org/]
Cycling gives UK economy 3 billion pound boost
22 August 2011- Cycling generates nearly 3 billion pounds a year for the UK economy, a report by the London School of Economics has found.
The figure takes into account factors such as bicycle manufacturing, retail and cycle-related employment.
The report says 51 million pounds was raised for UK manufacturers from the 3.7 million cycles sold in 2010 - a rise of 28% on the number of cycles sold in 2009.
More than a million people also started cycling last year, bringing the total number of cyclists to 13 million.
Read more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14610857
Fear of seeming weird putting people off cycling
8 September 2011- A three year research project in the UK has discovered that not fitting in, alongside "squashed helmet hair" and turning up "hot and sweaty" for meetings are the biggest deterrents for using a bike to commute.
Successive governments have invested 150 million pounds to promote cycling as an environmentally friendly way of travelling.
But there appears to be a long way to go before the public is convinced, according to the study funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
London transport boss calls for 'century of cycling'
10 October 2011- Transport for London commissioner Peter Hendy has outlined a 25-year plan to make cycling the preferred method of transport for local journeys. In front of an audience of professional planners and policy makers at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, he made the case for a programme of measures to herald what he called "the Century of Cycling".
Read more here:
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/transport-boss-calls-for-century-of-cycling-31990
China falls back in love with the bicycle
16 September 2011- The rivers of cyclists that used to flow through Chinese cities, all mounted on sturdy Flying Pigeon bikes and wearing monochrome Mao suits, have long dried up.
Instead, for two decades China has been a nation of drivers, embracing the car the point of gridlock and even outlawing bicycles from key thoroughfares in Shanghai.
But for a new generation of Chinese, inspired by the West and Japan, the bicycle is once again in vogue. This year, colourful custom-made bikes have adorned the shop windows of Shanghai's trendiest boutiques as well as advertising campaigns for brands like Lee and Levi's.
Groups of Chinese bike enthusiasts have also begun to organise midnight rides through the country's cities, when there is little traffic.
Read more here:
New 'bicycle roads' in Korea
11 October 2011- Enthusiastic, avid cyclists as well as beginning bicyclers can celebrate the new paths the four-river restoration project has created.
The government said refurbishing the four main river systems — the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan — will not only secure water resources and improve water quality, but also build "green" transport infrastructures by encouraging more people to enjoy bike riding as a leisure activity.
"Compared with the United States, Japan and other advanced countries, fewer people here use bicycles when going to work or traveling. Koreans rely more on automobiles as a means of transportation. Consequently there are not many places where people can go cycling", an official at the Office of National River Restoration.
He said the river improvement scheme has resulted in an extensive network of bicycle paths across the country and prompted cycling to become more popular among Koreans.
Read more here:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/10/117_96435.html
Weblinks
NZTA Crash Analysis System reports: recently revamped:
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/crash-analysis-system/
Sydney cycleways:
http://www.sydneycycleways.net/
Ultimate Bike Handle: a novel solution for bike parking:
http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/07/26/the-ultimate-bike-handle/
Tandems in Hokkaido: frustrated that riding a tandem is illegal on Hokkaido? sign the petition to legalise:
Health benefits of cycling: a new study confirms they far outweigh the safety risks:
http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4521.full
Cycling to work can add five years to your life: but only if you pedal hard (and avoid crashing):
Pedal-powered school bus:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/06/pedal-powered-school-bus-cuts-kids-calories/
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.nz
website: http://www.can.org.nz
Comments
I haven't heard yet from
I haven't heard yet from North Auckland. Though this phrase "We want to see cycling become an everyday activity in NZ" is slowly becoming into reality specially during pandemic.
Henry,
https://www.electriciannorthshoreauckland.info/