Nulla facilisi. In vel sem. Morbi id urna in diam dignissim feugiat. Proin molestie tortor eu velit. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nullam ultrices, diam tempus vulputate egestas, eros pede varius leo, sed imperdiet lectus est ornare odio. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Proin consectetuer velit in dui. Phasellus wisi purus, interdum vitae, rutrum accumsan, viverra in, velit. Sed enim risus, congue non, tristique in, commodo eu, metus. Aenean tortor mi, imperdiet id, gravida eu, posuere eu, felis. Mauris sollicitudin, turpis in hendrerit sodales, lectus ipsum pellentesque ligula, sit amet scelerisque urna nibh ut arcu. Aliquam in lacus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Nulla placerat aliquam wisi. Mauris viverra odio. Quisque fermentum pulvinar odio. Proin posuere est vitae ligula. Etiam euismod. Cras a eros....
News: November 2008
Nov
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/nov/26/critical-mass-london-police
Nov
26 November 2008 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, the next being on 4th December at 5-6pm, Wellington City Council Committee Room 2 (ground floor). 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! Another reminder that volunteers are needed for a couple of events coming up, part of the Wellington City Council's Cycle into Summer: 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...
Nov
Holdsworth Sustainable Design in Mt Eden, Auckland is importing Strida Bikes. "Strida is an innovative and easy to use folding bicycle with a 20 year award winning history. Invented in the UK by designer Mark Sanders, Strida is a brilliant response to a familiar urban problem -- the daily commute. With an elegant and ergonomic triangle construction, greaseless chain, and five-second fold time, Strida has emerged as the lightest, cleanest, most user-friendly folding bike on the market." See http://www.mybikefolds.co.nz/index.html
Nov
Here is the latest update on Frocks on Bikes. Thanks to our linkage with Megan Hoskings, things have taken off in a big way, and we are now doing an event on 6th Dec which is ADDITIONAL to our original proposal. Details of the day: 350 Frocks on Bikes – 3:50pm Saturday December 6th Waitangi Park, Wellington To celebrate International Day of Action on Climate Change– hosted by the Climate Action 350 Group Frocks on Bikes is for women who love bikes and dresses. 350 women on bikes will be doing a central city promenade from Waitangi Park to draw attention to the inherent coolness and beauty of biking. Participants will wear their most dashing clothes – frocks, high heels and other glam accessories will be part of this glittering spectacle. Frock wearing bike riders will meet at Waitangi Park and set off at 3:50pm – beside the Frocks on Bikes...
Nov
RaboPlus and BikeNZ announced today that RaboPlus is now cycling's principal sponsorship partner in New Zealand. As the online savings and investment service of Rabobank, RaboPlus says partnering with BikeNZ is an opportunity to demonstrate its on-going commitment to New Zealand, as well as support and promote a sport that emphasizes sustainability, fun and freedom. http://www.raboplus.co.nz/raboplus-tv-radio-ads/press-releases/BikeNZ-25...
Nov
CAN was kindly given a stall at the Cyclemania expo, during the Great Taupo Cycle Challenge, 28-30 Nov. Thanks Keith Crate and Bike Taupo. The expo attracted more than 20,000 visitors. This was a great opportunity to get CAN out there in the public eye. If you are Taupo over the weekend check us out. CAN staff handed out our new range of stickers and challenged people to master the CAN Exercycle One-minute Challenge. Join CAN for 2009 and get the rest of 2008 for free. evolution sticker CAN at Taupo Claire at Taupo record attempt Taupo
Nov
Hi everyone, Over the next two weeks, the NPDC is running a survey asking people how they use our parks and open spaces. This survey kicks off the start of consultation for the Open Space Strategy, which will be the major strategic document that will shape how NPDC plans our parks over the next 20 years. This will be a good opportunity to remind the NPDC that there is an extensive off-road recreational cycling network outlined in their Cycle Strategy document and their Open Spaces Strategy will need to allow for this network to be implemented. It's quick and easy to fill in. The online survey can be found at: http://www.newplymouthnz.com/forms/OpenSpaceStrategy.htm Kind regards North Taranaki Cycling Advocates Committee
Nov
Please make suggestions for the meeting agenda for 2nd December. Here's a start: Activities in November - Newsletter - Aquatic Centre Website - Google Map "Cycling Blackspots" - questions Critical Mass Route - Wally - discussion Approaching Councillors - suggestions - responses to website forum ...and here's a space for you! Bike parking presentation ("Powerpoint" for the TDC) Leave a comment...
Nov
Proposed new aquatic centre: Squeaky Wheel applauds the statement by the proponents of the aquatic centre on the Council that "the proposed Aquatic Centre has a real focus on wellness and catering for all members and age-groups of the community." The Timaru District Council's Active Transport Strategy states that 'the Council, together with the Timaru District community, will realise the potential that the district offers to maximise participation in active transport.’ Here is a perfect opportunity: provide for convenient, safe access and parking for cycles. As a clean, sustainable form of transport, cycling to the facility should be encouraged, alongside walking (and of no lesser importance than driving). Most customers will come from across Evans Street. Safe cycle access is needed from Evans/Te Weka Street intersection (where traffic lights are proposed), to the...
Nov
Initially, Bike to Work events in Victoria, British Columbia inspired only committed cyclists to ride to work. An effort to convince provincial government employees to bicycle to work by linking the message to the province's own "green" initiatives was not recruiting new cyclists to bicycle commuting. Organizers soon realized that the event attracted committed cyclists, not the potential and non-cyclists who were their real targets. http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=4278
Nov
About 6000 bikes are expected to be available for hire from early 2010, with riders able to pick them up and drop them off at 400 locations spread across central London. The scheme will be based on the popular Velib bike hire program in Paris, where there are now about 20,000 regular users. London's bikes will be available for hire in an area stretching from Regents Park in the north to the Houses of Parliament in the south and from Kensington High Street in the west to the Tower of London in the east. London Mayor Boris Johnson, a dedicated cyclist, said he hoped the scheme would inspire more people to pedal. "I have long held the view that a cyclised city is a civilised city; but if we are to get more Londoners onto two wheels rather than four we need to provide the facilities to help them do so," he said. "I believe that the work we are carrying out can make the capital a...
Nov
I've taken on the role of Meetings Co-ordinator for CAN. I'm putting together a list of organisations and people we need to meet with, and a list of CANners who are prepared to attend meetings on behalf of CAN. 1. would you like to be on the list? 2. are there any organisations missing? 3. are the priorities right? 4. can you suggest meeting topics? 5. what are your areas of interest/speciality? 6. where are you prepared to attend meetings? 7. what's your availability? 8. can you think of anyone else who should be on the 'people who'll meet' list? Cheers, Robert
Nov
This guide, published by the Ministry of Transport, shows how the benefits of encouraging and providing for walking and cycling can improve the liveability and sustainability of New Zealand towns and cities. It discusses these benefits, provides a ‘snapshot' of the current walking and cycling picture, and considers the many initiatives that can be implemented to increase the numbers of New Zealanders using these active modes for safe and convenient transport. Case studies of walking and cycling initiatives and practical ‘how to do it' information for regional and local government illustrate the guide.
Nov
The New Zealand bike ride that breaks all the records – and now the book!It started in 1977 with a bunch of friends trying to raise money for charity. Thirty-one years on, the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is not only New Zealand’s most popular bike ride but recognised by the UCI (International Cycling Union) as one of the top eight road-cycling events in the world.On November 29, around 12,000 people – from family relay teams to élite cyclists – will don helmets, leap on their bikes, and set out to conquer the nearly 160-kilometre course.According to a new guide being released to mark this year’s event, they should have been in training for months. The new Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge Guide by Amy Taylor (Awa Press, $30), the first-ever guide to the event, is being released to coincide with this year’s race. Taylor says if you want to really enjoy the ride and haven’t done it before, you...
Nov
Dear Timaru City Councillors, re: proposed new aquatic centre, Squeaky Wheel, a voice for cyclists in South Canterbury, would like to pose some questions about how the plans for the proposed new aquatic centre cater for the cycling sector of our community. The plans as released in the newspapers emphasise the potential health benefits of such a centre for the people of this district, as summed up in this sentence in the publicity: "The proposed Aquatic Centre has a real focus on wellness and catering for all members and age-groups of the community." The Timaru District Council's Active Transport Strategy includes in its Vision statement the following: Vision ‘The Council, together with the Timaru District community, will realise the potential that the district offers to maximise participation in active transport.’ However, there is nothing in the plans to...
Nov
The following question arose in Hamilton: Can recreational cycle paths attract funding (subsidy) from the NZTA? NZTA (NZ Transport Agency) is the government land transport funding agency, they were formerly LTNZ, and prior to that Transfund, just in case you know them by their old names. So, can those recreational facilities be subsidised? Strictly speaking no, because government has strange rules. They fund recreational roads (e.g. SH1 to Cape Reinga, or SH94 to Milford Sound), but not recreational pathways. So when can pathways get subsidised? A few rules apply: There needs to be some commuting component, The project needs to be identified in an approved (walking and) cycling strategy, The project needs to be listed in an LTCCP (long term council community plan), and An 'approved organisation' needs to apply for the subsidy. So what's an approved organisation? Well, road...
Nov
caption: get a bike, you'll love it.Greater Wellington Regional Council:Visit their cycling site for information on bike buddies, road rules, cycles on trains, buses, and ferries, cycle lockers at railway stations, cycling maps, cycle shops, groups and clubs, events and forums, and more. Feeling Great For information on cycling and mountain biking events happening in the Wellington check it out. Wellington City Councilprovides cycle lanes. Find out where. Black spots for cyclists map:Cyclists around Wellington have worked together to map the tricky bits. Safety tips for cyclists, truck and bus driversincludes a diagram showing blind spotsCycling Advocates Network (CAN):If you are interested in advocating for better cycle infrastructure or...
Nov
Patrick Morgan and I had our regular monthly catch-up with NZTA staff yesterday. There are quite a few things of interest to report: 1. Driver training/licensing & the Road Code As a result of our meeting with Annette King and Harry Duynhoven in September on our Nine Point Plan for Cycle Safety Jim Furneaux, NZTA's Manager of Driver Licensing Standards joined us to give NZTA's response on our request for greater consideration of cyclists in driver instruction, driver licensing and in the Road Code. Briefing notes issued by MoT/NZTA have already been posted on the CAN website at http://can.org.nz/article/briefing-notes-arising-from-kingduynhoven-meeting I've posted notes about this issue (and issues 2 & 3 below) from yesterday's meeting on the CAN website at http://can.org.nz/article/progress-on-a-few-fronts 2. Share the Road Notes on NZTA's response to our call for a...
Nov
Notes from meeting with NZTA on 11 November 2008 Attended by: Jim Furneaux (Manager Driver Licensing Standards, NZTA), Gerry Dance (Acting Principal Policy Advisor, Walking & Cycling, NZTA), Jason Morgan (Senior Policy Advisor, Networks, NZTA) Patrick Morgan (Networking Project Manager, CAN), Robert Ibell (Executive member, CAN), John Willmer (Cycling Development Manager, BikeNZ) Some issues raised by CAN at a meeting with Transport Minister Hon Annette King and Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven on 10 September were discussed. An initial response from MoT and NZTA had already been given in a briefing paper dated 31 October 2008 (see http://can.org.nz/node/2797) The main points from this meeting were: 1. Road Code and driver instruction & licensing The Road Code is being revised for early 2009, providing an opportunity...