Contents:
- Nelson to host walk-cycle talks
- Parking slashed in Dunedin cycle-lane plan
- New Christchurch transport plan praised
- 'Heroic risks' - US visitor marvels at perils of city cycling
- Wellington 'worst place in NZ to ride'
- South Canterbury cyclists finding the roads safer
- Police still failing to protect vulnerable road users
- Councils should promote walking, cycling, and public transport, say doctors
- Turkish cities to be given bicycle roads
- Weblinks
Nelson to host walk-cycle talks
4 September 2013- A national conference boosting the profile of cycling and walking is on its way to Nelson.
The 2014 "2 Walk & Cycle" annual national conference, organised by the Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) and Living Streets Aotearoa, will be held in Nelson from October 29-31 next year.
Nelson Tasman Tourism, the Nelson branch of the 2 Walk & Cycle committee and the Nelson City Council worked together to put a submission to the conference organising committee. Nelson won the hosting rights from Dunedin and Palmerston North.
Transport engineer and conference organising committee member Peter Kortegast said the three-day conference was timed to fall after the 2014 Nelson Arts Festival.
The conference aimed to raise the profile of cycling and walking in New Zealand, he said. "It's a perfect opportunity to get together and share ideas, present papers and get educated," he said.
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/9124604/Nelson-to-host-walk-cycle-talks
Parking slashed in Dunedin cycle-lane plan
19 September 2013- Between 200 and 400 parks on the central Dunedin one-way system will be removed and replaced by dedicated cycle lanes if a new plan by the New Zealand Transport Agency goes ahead.
The agency, in conjunction with Dunedin City Council staff and cycle advocacy group Spokes, has come up with two preferred long-term options for improving safety on Dunedin's one-way system, both of which include cycleways separated from the road.
Read more here:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/273836/parking-slashed-cycle-lane-plan
New Christchurch transport plan praised
31 October 2013- Christchurch's new transport has met with approval from politicians and advocates, winning praise for having taken on board pleas from residents.
A revamped public transport system, improved cycling and pedestrian networks and a lower central city speed limit (30 km/h) were yesterday welcomed by prominent city figures.
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said the plan captured many of the wishes the city expressed during its Share An Idea campaign last year.
"If we were looking for words on what the people of Christchurch said then, they said they wanted a clean, green, safe and accessible city ... with this plan's release, we see that vision taking some reality."
Canterbury-based Green Party MP Eugenie Sage applauded the cycle-priority routes, provisions for cycle parking at the extended bus stops, and improved access around the city for pedestrians and people with disabilities.
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/9344459/New-Christchurch-transport-plan-praised
'Heroic risks' - US visitor marvels at perils of city cycling
11 October 2013- Auckland is being challenged to follow top American cities in creating hundreds of kilometres of cycle lanes.
Visiting alternative transport chief Paul Steely White confessed to feeling out of place riding in inner Auckland yesterday, unprotected by the types of cycle lanes he says are helping to "humanise" his native New York and other US cities.
"Right now, riding around Auckland, you feel like you're an alien riding on your bike - like you're encroaching into what is otherwise very obvious car space," he said.
Mr Steely White, 43, is executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit organisation of about 30 staff and 100,000 supporters.
It has campaigned successfully to add about 600km of bikeways in the past five years to streets and parks as an extension of New York's public transit network, and to ban cars from Times Square and much of Central Park.
Read more here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11138320
or watch Paul Steely White's presentation in Auckland here:
http://aucklandconversations.e-cast.co.nz/auckland-conversations/details/65
Wellington 'worst place in NZ to ride'
19 September 2013- Cyclists have labelled Wellington the worst place in the country to ride a bike, as a report reveals a "disproportionately high" number of them are being killed or seriously injured.
The region's policy-makers have a goal of no more than 110 cyclist "casualties" a year on our roads. But a report issued by the Greater Wellington Regional Council shows the mark was overshot last year, with 125 incidents.
That equated to 91 cyclists suffering minor injuries, 33 suffering serious injuries, and one death.
Last year's numbers were a vast improvement on 2007 and 2008, in which 157 casualties were recorded, but the numbers had been heading downward, until 2012 reversed the trend.
The 33 seriously injured cyclists last year was the second-worst tally this decade, which was a concern, the report says.
"There is still much room for improvement across the region, and a continued focus on pedestrian and cycle safety will be needed."
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9182420/Wellington-worst-place-in-NZ-to-ride
South Canterbury cyclists finding the roads safer
24 October 2013- The number of cycling crashes in South Canterbury looks set to hit a five-year low this year.
New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) statistics showed there had been only five crashes involving cyclists in South Canterbury this year, the lowest since 2008.
Timaru Cycling Club president Dave Hawkey said roads were safer to cycle on because motorists were getting the message about sharing the road.
Mr Hawkey believes motorists are becoming used to the sight of cyclists on roads, which means they are more inclined to share the road with them. "It's because it (cycling) is becoming more of a popular pastime. There are certainly more cyclists out there, far more than there have been, and people are adopting safer driving."
Timaru District Council road safety co-ordinator Daniel Naude said there was a small percentage of drivers who ignored the messages, but overall drivers were more aware of their surroundings.
"When numbers [of crashes] go down it's always a good sign," he said.
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/9319633/Cyclists-finding-the-roads-safer
Police still failing to protect vulnerable road users
22 September 2013- The Police are ignoring valuable data that could be used to help protect road users, especially the most vulnerable ones, the Green Party said today.
Information received under the Official Information Act from the Police show that, despite recent changes to the Community Roadwatch website, the Police are choosing not to analyse the data collected to better enforce the law and protect all road users, especially people walking and cycling.
"The Police are ignoring valuable data collected from their Community Roadwatch website to manage road safety in a smart way," said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter.
"Is this another example of the Police failing in their duty of care to vulnerable road users?"
Read more here:
Councils should promote walking, cycling, and public transport, say doctors
14 October 2013- Public health doctors in New Zealand are calling for newly elected Mayors and councils to develop a sustainable transport environment where active travel and public transport are prioritised and represent realistic and safe alternatives to travelling by car.
The College of Public Health Medicine President Dr Julia Peters says the current over reliance on private vehicle transport has negative impacts on health through road traffic crashes, air and noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and increased sedentary time.
"Physical inactivity contributes to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, air pollution causes respiratory and other illnesses, road crashes cause death and injury, and vehicle carbon emissions contribute to global climate change including one sixth of New Zealand's total gross greenhouse gas emissions."
Read more here:
http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/councils-should-promote-walking-cycling-and-public-transport/5/170740
Turkish cities to be given bicycle roads
18 October 2013- Some 64 bicycle road projects are in the pipeline across Turkey as part of the government's push for "cleaner cities", the environment minister has announced, amid growing criticism of the environmental impact of the government's urbanization policies.
Minister of Environment and Urban Planning Erdogan Bayraktar said the government was working on a "Bicycle Roads in 81 Provinces Project", adding that around 64 bicycle road projects prepared by the local municipalities had already been approved by the authorities and were awaiting budget approval.
The government's desire to expand bicycle road regulations across the country comes after chronic traffic problems hit Istanbul over the last few weeks.
Read more here:
Weblinks
What if... we built a cycle friendly Christchurch?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7e1sNe0HvY
Protected cycleways proposed for Dunedin:
http://spokesdunedin.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/protected-cycleways-proposed-for-dunedin/
Are cyclists good customers?: Yes, according to the Cycling Embassy of Denmark:
http://www.cycling-embassy.dk/2013/08/26/are-cyclists-good-customers/
Coming soon to a bike shop near you: lattes, craft beer - and wedding cake:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323407104579036743377325268.html
Low-stress bicycling and network connectivity:
http://transweb.sjsu.edu/project/1005.html
Bad driving: what are we thinking?: the fascinating science of traffic psychology:
http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/aug/19/driving-road-neuroscience-psychology
Four ways protected bike lanes help local businesses:
Forever Bicycles: artist Ai Weiwei's installation using 3,144 bicycles:
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/10/forever-bicycles-ai-weiwei-toronto/
Dutch bicycle school bus for ten:
Evaluating active transport benefits and costs: a guide to valuing walking and cycling improvements and encouragement programs:
http://www.vtpi.org/nmt-tdm.pdf
Winter cycling for everyone: a film on the joys of cycling in winter:
Groningen: the world's cycling city:
Copenhagenize videos:
http://vimeo.com/copenhagenize/videos
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