News: August 2008

The 2008–09 funding round is now open for the Walking and Cycling Micro-Fund. Start on your application now! The Walking and Cycling Micro-Fund is run jointly by Living Streets Aotearoa and Cycling Advocates’ Network. The Fund provides opportunities for organisations to apply for funding of up to $1000 towards events, promotions and initiatives which promote walking and cycling as a transport option for short trips. The New Zealand Transport Agency provides the funding. Closing date: 17 October 2008 Download the attached Walking and Cycling Micro-Fund guide Download the attached Walking and Cycling Micro-Fund application form, fill it in, and email it to lily.linton@livingstreets.org.nz Lists of successful walking and cycling projects are available at http://www.livingstreets.org.nz/pdf/SuccAppl2007.pdf For help contact Lily Linton, Ph (04) 385 8280, Email lily.linton@livingstreets.org...

Dan Burden (http://www.walkable.org/) lobbies for cities to be more walking/cycle friendly. (duration: 21′49″) Dan was keynote speaker at Living Streets' recent conference. Follow the link to hear the interview.

National cycling organisation Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) today called for the Government to boost funding for cycling. CAN Secretary Robert Ibell said the Government�s announcement of an extra $27 million of state funding for public transport showed a commitment on the part of Government to boost alternatives to private motor vehicle use. CAN wants similar attention to be paid to the use of bicycles as a means of transport. CAN noted that figures from the last census suggest that the same number of New Zealanders bike to work as take the train or bus. �Despite the existence of national and regional government support for public transport, public transport�s share of journeys to work is currently no higher than the bicycle�s� Mr Ibell said. �At three percent, cycle commuting figures in NZ are low by international standards, but this reflects decades of car-centred planning and...

Delegates from around New Zealand are gathering in Lower Hutt tomorrow (Friday) morning for the fifth NZ Cycling Conference. This is the first NZ Cycling Conference held since the release of NZ's National Walking and Cycling Strategy, and delegates are looking for ideas and inspiration as they begin to implement the visions of the strategy. After a welcome from Hutt City mayor David Ogden and official opening remarks from Associate Transport Minister Harry Duynhoven, the keynote speaker Troels Andersen will take the conference on a tour around his home city, Odense in Denmark. Mr Andersen is the manager for a ground-breaking project which has seen Odense become the 'Cycling City' of Denmark. The conference concludes on Saturday evening, and will include the annual CAN Cycle-Friendly Awards presentation on Friday night. ENDS. For further information, contact Stephen Knight, Advocacy...

The national organisation for bicycle tourists and commuters, the Cycling Advocates Network (CAN), today lent its support to Nelson MP Nick Smith's call for a mountain-bike track through the Kahurangi National Park. CAN spokesperson Robert Ibell said Dr Smith's proposed $3 million mountain-bike track linking Karamea and Collingwood would tap into a fast growing interest in cycle touring in New Zealand. "A dedicated mountain-bike trail through the Kahurangi National Park would give cyclists access to an area of great natural beauty, with far less environmental impact than a road. A track such as this would lure cyclists to the area, providing a boost to the local economy," Mr Ibell said. CAN predicts that cycle tourism will become a major earner of tourist dollars for New Zealand. "Like backpackers, cycle tourists travel light but spend up large on accommodation and adventure...

The high number of cyclists killed on New Zealand�s roads this year is not a �statistical blip�, says national cycling organisation Cycling Advocates Network (CAN). CAN wants to see some action, not just concern, from the Land Transport Safety Authority over the cyclist deaths. Sixteen cyclists have been killed so far this year, compared to three at the comparable time last year. CAN Secretary, Robert Ibell, said that based on an average of 12.8 cyclist fatalities a year between 1995 and 1999, the chance of randomly getting 16 or more cyclists fatalities in half a year is only 0.1%. Even if the figure to date for 2000 is included, the likelihood rises to only 0.8%. �The LTSA is the national agency with responsibility for road safety. It�s nice to hear that they�re concerned about the cyclist fatalities, but when are they actually going to do something about it?� said Mr Ibell. �If the...

New government policies and more resources are needed to give New Zealanders a better choice of transport options, according to the Cycling Advocates Network (CAN). CAN is using National Bike Wise Week as an opportunity to call on national and local government to adopt policies that give people the freedom to get around by bicycle. CAN wants to see a national network of cycle routes developed, suitable for commuting, recreation and tourism. Cycling could account for 10-15 per cent of all trips made in New Zealand, CAN says. Currently only two per cent of journeys are made by bike - similar to the proportion of work journeys made by public transport. Most trips in New Zealand are a realistic distance for cycling according to CAN. One third of all journeys are under two kilometres in length,� and two thirds are under six kilometres. "People should be able to choose to cycle or walk - and...

The Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) said it was delighted with this evening's announcement by Mark Gosche, Minister of Transport, that the Government is to develop a national cycling strategy, something which CAN has been pushing for over the last few years. CAN chairperson Jane Dawson said that a national cycling strategy should be a guiding document for national and local government, setting priorities for further work. "Government policy-making has traditionally been chopped up into discrete areas such as transport, health, and recreation. It has been very difficult for the benefits of cycling to be recognised. We anticipate that a national cycling strategy will enable strong linkages to be made between policy areas." CAN� also welcomed the objectives set for the New Zealand Transport Strategy. "Cyclists have long seen that health, improved access and mobility, and environmental...