News: May 2009

It will be different spokes for different folks, with a new bike-hire scheme to be introduced in Wellington. Nextbike, based in Auckland, will hire out 100 custom-built bikes from up to 20 sites in central Wellington from October to May. Nextbike boss Julian Hulls said the German-designed, Chinese-built cycles would be ideal for tourists to move around Wellington during the Rugby World Cup. They could also be used on the great rides cycling project championed by Prime Minister John Key. "They [hire bikes] are a missing piece of the puzzle really." The bikes have three gears, mud and chain guards, a luggage basket, and upright seat. "You don't want something that you have to wear [spandex] to use. It is nice and easy to ride." Safety helmets, which must be worn, are permanently attached to each bike. The bikes are not sold in shops, which Mr Hulls said would eliminate the resale of...

15 May 2009 Cycle Aware Wellington welcomes Minister of Tourism John Key's proposal for a series of Great Rides forming the backbone of a national cycleway. An iconic Great Ride will be the Great Harbour Way, a cycling and walking route around Wellington Harbour (http://www.greatharbourway.org.nz/). "The Great Harbour Way route passes Wellington Airport, the ferry terminals and railway station, and so will be accessible to tourists visiting Wellington and in transit to the South Island," says CAW spokesman Patrick Morgan. "There are few places in the world where you can cycle and walk the entire shoreline of a major harbour." The route also provides connections to the Hutt River Trail and the Rimutaka Rail Trail. Once the "gap" - the lack of a good cycling and walking route between Ngauranga and Petone - is fixed, cyclists will be able to travel from Wellington city to the...

A pedal-powered printer is proving a hit with Ricoh staff and customers. On World Environment Day each year Ricoh, a company which manufactures printers, copiers and fax machines, has its own Eco Action Day. On June 5 Ricoh will again be powering appliances through its custom built Power Cycle generator. Ricoh NZ's MD Mike Pollok pedalling the Power Cycle In previous years Ricoh has invited special guests such as ex-All Blacks, politicians and TV presenters to take a turn on the Power Cycle, with their output being used to supply electricity which in turn powers a printer. Volunteers had a photo taken and printed out using only their legs for power. The Power Cycle works through a small generator coupled to an exercycle. This charges a battery pack which runs through an inverter to create a 240V AC current. This can then be connected to any standard appliance...

Zen proverb A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, ‘Why are you riding your bicycles?’ The first student replied, ‘The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!’ The teacher praised the first student. ‘You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do.’ The second student replied, ‘I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!’ The teacher commended the second student, ‘Your eyes are open, and you see the world.’ The third student replied, ‘When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo.’ The teacher gave his praise to the third student, ‘Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel.’ The fourth student...

From Graham Reid at http://publicaddress.net/default,5885,the_wheels_of_progress.sm#post5885 The Wheels of Progress The prime minister's announcement this week of the new nationwide $50 million cycleway to be completed in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup has been met with widespread approval, notably from people in the historic Wellington suburbs of Karori and Khandallah which will be most affected by the six-lane route running from North Cape to somewhere called "Bluff". A significant part of the plan -- which will be pushed though Parliament early next week under urgency -- means that 360 homes, many of them heritage buildings, will be demolished in Khandallah and Karori to make way for the cycle lane. The ambitious project, says the prime minister, will be a boost to tourism and employ 847 people over the next two years. Or not, he added. Although some of the homes in the...

The Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) welcomes the Government’s decision to allocate $50 million over three years to start the New Zealand Cycleway Project. The Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) welcomes the Government’s decision to allocate $50 million over three years to start the New Zealand Cycleway Project. CAN spokesperson Stephen McKernon says ‘the funding is an important start to the Project. It will contribute directly to international and domestic tourism and will provide great recreational rides for New Zealand’s 1.3 million cyclists. Local businesses will benefit immediately and directly, as the evidence from the Otago Central Rail Trail shows. Everyone wins.’ ‘There are also benefits for local communities as the Cycleway will stimulate additional investment in local infrastructure, jobs and community facilities. A stronger network will also encourage people to cycle more often...

A message from Jasmine Cargill to all members of Frocks on Bikes, and others. TVNZ Breakfast are doing a feature on sustainable transport and have asked for Frocks on Bikes to do a short interview, filming is at Britomart in Auckland tomorrow (thursday the 14th) between 8am and 8:40am. If you're in Akl (one day to be known as the City of Cycles) get on your gorgeous gear - we'd love you to join us for some morning frock fun! A group will meet at Western Park on Ponsonby Rd at 7:45am and roll down K Rd and Queen St towards Britomart. If you're not in AKl please forward this message to friends who are! Visit Frocks on Bikes at: http://intersect.ning.com/groups/group/show?id=2072671%3AGroup%3A13174

A fundamental issue we run into when advocating a shift in transport investment from road building to cycling, walking and PT is that the evaluation models used by Govt ignore induced travel. I am seeking NZ or overseas research which challenges the belief that road building is good for the economy.  Can you add to this list? Here's what I have found so far: 1. Myth #1. "New roads are good for the economy" In order to investigate this commonly held assumption, the UK's Department for Transport commissioned the SACTRA Report1, it concluded that the linkage of new roading with economic growth is "weak and disputed". Furthermore, the study found that economic effects of a roading project are significantly affected by local circumstances and conditions. A new road may actually make areas worse off, as businesses use the new link to relocate out of the...