Submissions
Thanks to everyone that made either a written or oral submission to the cycling, walking and track policies. There were an impressive 153 cycling submissions and 72 walking ones. There were also 60 people who said that they wanted to give oral submissions, which were given from Tuesday 14th to Thursday the 16th of October.
I would like make special mention of all the work that Andre Cymbalista has put in over this: lobbying, co-ordinating, motivating and writing the CAW submission. He’s also behind the setting up of the Cycle Black Spot map too (see http://tiny.cc/61hPV), which got special mention from councillors.
THANKS FOR THE FABULOUS EFFORT!!
Cycle into Summer
Wellington City Council is having a whole month promoting cycling: Cycle into Summer.
Do go along to the events and help make it successful so they do it again. And, if you can, help out with Cycle Commuting Workshops. If you have any hot tips, please let Christina (Christina@can.org.nz) know. Check out the programme on www.feelinggreat.co.nz
Volunteers Required!
There are three exciting events coming up for which volunteers are needed:
1. Bike the Bays: the morning of Sunday 14th December.
We need 35 people to help as marshals at this event organised by the Wellington City Council. This will earn CAW $2,000 to spend on Bike Wise events in Feb 2009. Please contact Illona (email: illona.keenan@gmail.com) with your details if you or your friends can help. This is a wonderful opportunity to help CAW, meet people, and be involved in a great fun family event.
2. Green My Ride: 11th November 2008.
This is a new cycle breakfast event to replace the Bike Breakfast, also organised by WCC, taking place at Frank Kitts Park. There will be a CAW stall at the event. We will need volunteers for the stall. Please email Ashley.burgess@wcc.govt.nz
3. Battle of the BUGS (Bicycle User Groups).
Help organise a new event for Bike Wise week in February 2009. This will tie in with the Business Bike Battle but be more fun. There will be prizes – for, say, the BUG with the most legs, newest BUG, BUG with the best shower(!), greatest distance cycled in a month etc. – ideas welcome! It is envisaged that the prize ceremony will be combined with Go By Bike Day. Please contact illona.keenan@gmail.com if you are interested.
Climate Action Festival Day - 6 December
On this day Clare Pascoe along with Gecko (Victoria University Environment Group) and Sustainability Trust will be running a Supermarket Challenge. People on bikes compete with people in cars (and maybe buses?), having to go into supermarket (why not a more sustainable store? Ed.), purchase a list of shopping, load it into vehicle, and then get back to starting point. It was run in Christchurch a few years ago, with cyclists – predictably! - winning most sections. Contact Clare if you have a trailer and/or want to compete.
CAN Do
The annual meeting of the Cyclists’ Advocacy Network was held on the weekend of the 4th and 5th October in Christchurch. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all who went, including several CAW members. There were members from 19 regional cycling groups – that’s pretty much every one in the country. Illona gathered great resources on submission writing which will be posted on the CAW website. Hearing what other groups get up to was inspiring, and the 2-day group ride along the Little River Trial was fabulous. All in all, a brilliant weekend, and a must for next year’s calendar.
New Cycle Advocacy Network website
A brilliant new website for CAN has now gone live. This differs radically from the previous site in that now all users are able to contribute content, share information about what’s going on, such as events, submissions, projects etc. This should really improve communication within CAN and its members as well as with the public. Our own website has also been improved. Come along early to our next meeting to find out more about them and get yourself hooked onto them with a log-on. See ‘next meeting’ below.
Ngauranga to Petone cycling improvements
As part of improvements to make cyclists more visible on SH2, NZTA will be trialling some green surfacing near the BP Horokiwi station. This surfacing is part of our planned work to improve cycling on SH2 until long-term decisions are made about the cycleway. Following the trial, which NZTA want your feedback on, green markings may be installed on designated points of SH2 as well as cyclist activated signs to alert other roads users of their presence and to highlight locations where cyclists will be crossing at highway intersections. This improvement work is expected to be finished before Christmas. In the meantime, NZTA are keen to know what you think about the trial section of surfacing. Call 04 801 2580 or email mark.edwards@nzta.govt.nz.
Election
With an election rapidly approaching CAN has prepared an inspiring and comprehensive pro-cycling election campaign resource, helping you to vote for cycling in the coming elections. There’s a stylish Vote Cycling poster that you can download, print off and put up at work. See www.can.org.nz/elections. And don’t forget to vote on the 8th!
Great Harbour Way
Over fifty people turned out on a brilliantly fine Sunday afternoon to discuss how the Great Harbour way project can be advanced. In the morning, a dozen people walked from Ngauranga Station to the Ferry Terminal at Kaiwharawhara to experience the seaward route. We were surprised at how much of this section of the route is wallkable/bikeable already. [photo shows walkers on the track between Ngauranga and Kaiwharawhara]
A resolution of the meeting asked the Regional Transport Committee to "urgently prioritise and progress an attractive, safe, accessible, seward path, for people on foot and on bikes, between Petone and Kaiwharawhara, as part of the Great Harbour Way"
The Wellington City Council has asked that the GHW be included in the regional cycling plan, and the Transport and Access Committee of the GWRC has agreed to a motion supporting a Great Harbour Way cycling and walking track on the seaward side of the railway line from Petone to Ngauranga.
See http://www.greatharbourway.org.nz/ and http://cms.can.org.nz/group/great-harbour-way for more details. Contact Alastair Smith (04 463-5785, Alastair.Smith@vuw.ac.nz) if you’re interested in helping get this visionary project off the ground.
More Bikes, Fewer Bike Accidents
In a study that at first glance seems counterintuitive, researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia reviewed safety studies from 17 countries and 68 cities in California and found that the more people bike in a community, the less they collide with motorists. "It appears that motorists adjust their behavior in the presence of increasing numbers of people bicycling because they expect or experience more people cycling," said Julie Hatfield, an injury expert from the university. With fewer accidents, people perceive cycling as safer, so more people cycle, thus making it even safer, she said. "Rising cycling rates mean motorists are more likely to be cyclists, and therefore be more conscious of, and sympathetic towards, cyclists,” she said. Safety experts said the decrease in accidents that comes with an increase in cycling is independent of improvements in cycling-friendly laws and better infrastructure such as bike paths. The safety studies reviewed were from Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, 14 other European countries, and 68 cities in California. Although the review focused on bicycling, it appears that the more is safer rule also applies to pedestrians, Hatfield said.
$5 Tickets for HEAT, new play at BATS, 7-22nd November
Just get on your bike!
HEAT has one special seat to experience the show every night! As the production is run entirely off the power grid – using solar, wind and renewable energy means, we’re inviting one audience member to create their own power – watching the show on a monitor in the foyer powered by
an exercycle! Please note the show is 100 minutes long – you don’t need to peddle fast, but you do need to peddle for the entire show! See www.bats.co.nz/plays/08/stab/heat.html for more details, and contact Brianne Kerr if you’re interested: briannekerrpublicity@yahoo.co.nz
Next Meeting
CAW meetings are held regularly on the 1st Tuesday of the Month at the Southern Cross Tavern, corner Cuba and Abel Smith Sts. The next meeting will be: Tuesday 4th November, 6pm - 7.30pm. Come early, at 5:00 pm, and get hooked on to the fantastic new CAW website – lessons for free!
Advance notice of CAW’s Christmas Meeting! Come along on Tuesday December 2nd from 6pm, at our normal venue. Simon Kennett will be our guest speaker, talking about his experience on the epic Great Divide Race he took part in earlier this year. Come along for Christmas food and fun!