News: October 2009

By Sarah Bell BBC News Women cyclists make up a far higher proportion of deaths involving lorries than men. Why? Many of the fatalities involving cyclists happen in collisions with a heavy goods vehicle (HGV). This year, seven of the eight people killed by lorries in London have been women. Considering that women make only 28% of the UK's cycling journeys, this seems extremely high. There are no national figures but there's little reason to think it is any different. In August, a 27-year-old woman died in Leeds after her bike was in collision with a lorry. These deaths could be attributed to a tragic anomaly, but some cycling campaigners are concerned whether there is something about how women cycle which puts them at greater risk from lorries. "It's...

The Manukau Harbour Crossing project includes local cycling and walking improvements, to make it easier to get around on foot or by bicycle. Enter feedback and we'll compile for the NZTA.

Getting people out of cars and onto bicycles, a much more sustainable form of transportation, has long vexed environmentally conscious city planners. Although bike lanes painted on streets and automobile-free “greenways” have increased ridership over the past few years, the share of people relying on bikes for transportation is still less than 2 percent, based on various studies. An emerging body of research suggests that a superior strategy to increase pedal pushing could be had by asking the perennial question: What do women want? In the U.S., men’s cycling trips surpass women’s by at least 2:1. This ratio stands in marked contrast to cycling in European countries, where urban biking is a way of life and draws about as many women as men—sometimes more. In the Netherlands, where 27 percent of all trips are made by bike, 55 percent of all riders are women. In Germany 12 percent of...

Hi, I am not sure who will receive this email, but I spoke to Patrick of CAW at Park(ing) Day and talked to him about having a bike maintenance workshop at the waterfront festival from 12:00-5:00 on October 24th. Patrick mentioned that CAW had a bike maintenance stand and some tools we could possibly use.  I am interested in trying to make that happen if possible.  I know that CAW members will most likely be involved with the ride from Eastbourne that day, but if you know any keen cyclists who know bike maintenance skills who aren't participating in that ride (perhaps if they are injured?) might you ask them if they would be interested in helping with a workshop?  We currently have one volunteer who knows bike maintenance. Cheers, Babs Lake babslakeb@yahoo.com

From the meeting with Ross McCoy of NZTA and the NPDC Cycle Strategy team held on Wednesday, this document outlines what will be funded on state highways etc for the next 3 years. This document details the funding provided for the Taranaki region – and as a dynamic document will be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect any approved variations to programmes, with the latest version available on the NZTA’s website at www.nzta.govt.nz. For information on funding for the rest of New Zealand (and how the NLTP is developed and managed) see the ‘national’ document, which is also available at www.nzta.govt.nz.