News: February 2010

For details and event programme, please see event lisiting on this page. Jess at Sport BoP is looking for a few expereinced cyclists to help teach basic bike handling and some on road safety (in off road, mock situations) at hte Childrens day in the Redwoods on sunday 7 March. Please consider coming along to help and also please pass on to anyone you think may be interested in volunteering.cheers

Please support the Council's proposal to improve cyclist safety on Thorndon Quay. Make a submission  - it only takes a couple of minutes.Background Over the past 10 years, the average number of commuter cyclists on Thorndon Quay has increased from 75 to 300 per hour during peak hours. The average reported crashes between cycles and vehicles have also increased from one to six per year, making Thorndon Quay one of the most dangerous roads in Wellington for cyclists. Most cycle / vehicle crashes occur in the southbound direction between 7.00am to 9.00am, usually resulting from drivers turning into parking spaces and driveways. Proposal To improve road safety for the increasing number of cyclists commuting on Thorndon Quay, the Council proposes removing southbound parking between 7.00am to 9.00am Monday to Friday to increase distance between turning vehicles and cyclists (after 9.00am...

A Hastings man has given 62 new bicycles to a local school to get children back on bikes.Paul McArdle has also given St Mary's Primary School 225 helmets, four bike tracks, a bike shed and an elite cyclist to coach the youngsters.It is a package worth about $75,000, mostly from his own pocket.Today (19 Feb 2010) at St Mary's, Prime Minister John Key will introduce Mr McArdle's Bikes in the School initiative, which aims to give every primary school pupil access to a bicycle and track.St Mary's principal Liz Crowley said the scheme had been going for three weeks at her school and was a roaring success."The children are all very keen to try their skills on the bikes," she said. "It's also a learning resource in physical education – and it's fun."Mr McArdle, 42, returned to New Zealand from Amsterdam last year after working in banking for 12 years."I used to bike to work every day, in a...

The New Zealand Transport Agency is to be asked to investigate making high-visibility vests and brightly coloured helmets compulsory for cyclists as a result of the death of a Dunedin man who was struck by a vehicle on State Highway 1 near Allanton last year.Otago-Southland region coroner David Crerar will also recommend the agency investigate making the use of headlights compulsory at all times for vehicles on the open road, to make them as visible as possible to other road users. Mr Crerar said he would make the recommendations in his final finding on the cause and circumstances of the death of the cyclist, the Rev Dr Alan Richard Kerr. Police officers told the court Dr Kerr (66) was cycling home to Allanton from Mosgiel, when he turned on to State Highway 1 from Gladstone Rd about 3pm on June 30 last year. It appeared he was...

Hamilton police are trying to identify a woman found dead in a creek with a bicycle yesterday morning. Senior Sergeant Karl Thornton, of Hamilton, said a member of the public found the woman's body in knee deep water in Waitawhiriwhiri Stream, in Edgecumbe Park, Hamilton, at 11.35am yesterday. "It appears she was riding a bike at a fair speed down the steep path, skid marks at the scene suggest she's failed to negotiate a corner and struck a tree before coming to a rest in the stream. Her death is not being treated as suspicious and has been referred to the Coroner while we try and identify her." The woman was Maori or Polynesian, believed to be in her thirties, had distinctive frizzy short to medium-length hair, and was of medium build about 176cm tall, Mr Thornton said. "She was found wearing a black T-shirt and blue knee length shorts with a light green Tiki necklace around her neck...

Veer screening tonight at 7:30 at the Basement!! Seats could well sell out so come early 

Bike On NZ is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to get everyone in New Zealand to experience the joy of biking.How does Bike On plan to achieve their aim?By privately funding a number of different projects (eg Bikes in the School and TeenageGirls on Bikes) and then analysing and assessing their success rate. Funding (private and public) will then be secured via a non-profit charitable Trust to enable the most successful projects to offered across New Zealand.Bike On believe that the return on these high performing projects will be substantial due to the many positive outcomes they will generate.What are the current Bike On NZ projects?Bikes In The Schools ProjectWhat is the main objective of the Bikes in the School project?To ensure all junior primary school children have an opportunity to experience the joyof biking and the flow on benefits such as increased health and...

5% more cyclists saves $200 million.Researchers say New Zealand could save $200 million per year in health costs if more motorists opted to use a bike instead. The Centre for Sustainable Cities says it would take only 5% of car trips being replaced by bike rides to make the savings. Manager Jan Logie says the extra exercise would also save the lives of more than a hundred people each year. She says a 5% change is not radical, as it is just getting back to the number of cyclists in the 1980s. But she says people won't opt for bikes instead of cars until the roads are safer and urban areas are improved for cyclists. source: Radio NZ 17 Feb 2010

New Plymouth's Coastal Pathway Extension bridge being put into position Hot off the press, photos taken this lunchtime! The concrete deck has yet to go on plus the handrailing and other finishing stuff.  The pathway from the end of the bridge to Bell Block is still out to tender.  Tenders close this week, so not likely to be able to ride over the bridge till June/July.