CAW Minutes Tue 7 June 2011, at The Library, 53 Courtenay Place, level 1 (above Burger King)

Present: Claire P (chair) Sridhar E, Eleanor, Ian B, Alastair S (minutes), Mark T, Phaedra U, Patrick M, Simon K, Keely K, Nathaniel, Megan C, James B, Hilleke D, Mike T, Craig, Marilyn N, Tom H, Jane, Gilbert S.

Priorities for the year, including Survey Monkey results

Claire summarised report from survey on CAW's priorities - publicity via facebook, blogs. Got an excellent response: 435 (compared with 89 in the equivalent 2010 survey). Top 5 priorities for cycling in Wellington were:
1 Increased budget (this was a clear message to Council, 37% of respondents ranked at no1)
2 Fixing the Petone - Ngauranga gap - CAW needs to work on NZTA and the Hutt Corridor plan to achieve this.
3 Bike boulevard - need to think of an appropriate route
4 Improve Hutt road cycle route between Ngauranga and Thorndon.
5 Southern cycling route from Island Bay

Claire is doing report on the survey to WCC, and to CAW website.

Meeting with WCC

Patrick and Claire reported on their meeting with Paul Barker, WCC Safe and Sustainable Transport Manager, and WCC councillors Andy Foster, Justin lester and Bryan Pepperell.

They discussed an alternative bike route (see priority 4 above) for a section of the Hutt Road utilising the corridor behind buildings beside the railway line - Paul suggested this option to CAW some years ago, but there were safety concerns because the route would not be visible. Feeling of the CAW meeting was that this was worth investigating, but would want more details. Appears to be good for peak time, less so at night. Tom will discuss with Hutt group.

WCC is also looking at a Bus lane on the Hutt Road to be shared by cyclists - the meeting felt that this would be less good for nonconfident cyclists
 
Other points in relation to Hutt Rd:

• Should CAW push for a route beside the sea from Ngauranga to Aotea Quay, rather than the  the behind the buildings alternative?
• move parking alongside Hutt Road to road side, have the cycle path inside?

Andy Foster trying to increase the cycling budget in annual plan.

Sump grates

WCC has 40 cycle friendly sump grates to install - send details of problem grates (nearest intersection, street, side of street, photo, gps location) to cycling@wcc.govt.nz.

Cycling maps

Simon reported that there is not much new: Terralink is doing mapping work for redoing the print version of the 3 regional cycling maps. James B will help with critiquing.

Bikes on Buses workshop

This 15 June workshop will be attended by Simon, cycle advocates, bus drivers, Go Wellington, Drivers Union,  3 councillors (Glensor, Bruce, Ponter). Will discuss key issues on bike racks.  Attitudes are changing to the extent that the issue is being considered. GWRC was offered a free sample bus rack for a trial, but was too expensive to ship and install. A CAW subcommittee will be formed to steal a Christchurch bus with a rack for a trial :-)

SASTRG (Safe and Sustrainable Transport Reference Group) mtg.

The 3 monthly meeting of this WCC group will be 22 June. David Laing and Claire going. Agenda items

• top 5 projects from Survey.
• Porirua stream project walking/cycling through Tawa - political support from CAW would be useful.
• Basin Reserve - a bit early for this; mostly NZTA now.

Little fighters Cycle Movies

Mike and Hilleke (Little Fighters) made the Give us a Chance video in November 2010. CAN now has funding for a video promoting the "stop at red" campaign that they will now work on. The meeting brainstormed ideas for the video:

• should be about giving/ getting respect, not preaching
• shouldn't emphasise danger
• short talks to camera on why it's a bad idea to go through a red light
• cyclist going through red light, graphics showing smashing other things - common sense, respect, etc
• helmet cam of hazards, then show cyclist as ordinary person
• Red light is one risk we can control
• Use police, cycling celebrities, cycle courier

Further suggestions to Patrick

Hilleke and Mike are also looking at a cycling etiquette video: based on 1950s public service announcement style.

Chainlinks

Claire calling for contributions. Alastair will do CAW update,  Tom will do Hutt, Megan will do an update on the Cycling in Wellington blog.

Hutt cycling update

Tom updated on issues in the Hutt valley.

• Great improvements in the walking/cycling path on the stopbank
• Concerns that the Lower Hutt cycling budget had been diverted to other purposes - thanks to Tom alerting the subcommittee, this will be reversed
• Draft Hutt corridor plan: concerns that this puts cyclists onto low speed routes, for example not providing an efficient route getting north from Petone foreshore.

Safe and sustainable transport grants

A call for applications has just closed. Next one will be around December. Need to be prepared to apply, for example for a Ciclovia event.

Critical Mass

Keely wants to promote Critical Mass rides, which were very successful in Edmonton. Points made:

• 6pm could be a better time: past peak traffic, easier for people who don't work in CBD
• Danger of generating antagonism by clogging roads at a busy time
• Ride against flow (e.g. inward on Oriental Parade) so visible, but not creating traffic issues
• Other models: London's Take back the Roads rides, which were held in the late evening, ride to Symphony, frocks rides.

Hutt corridor submission

Tom will do Hutt submission, Alastair will do CAW submission with material from Phaedra.

30 sec raves

• Phaedra's Tibet trip has been cancelled :-(
• Mark is doing the Massey Journalism course, wants to get a cycling story. Will follow up Hutt corridor, Little Fighters videos.
• Simon: June Next magazine features folding bikes, RadioNZ doing story on folding bikes. 
• Tom: issue with folding bikes is that small tires wear rapidly.
• Claire is importing and selling Toucan fashionable pannier bags. 
• Hilleke has imported Dutch style locks, ring through back wheel; has had custom coffee cup holder made.
• Gazelle commuting bikes at Burkes are worth a look.
• Craig  raised the issue of getting cyclist consensus when there are multiple perspectives.