Angry and inconsiderate drivers have no place on our roads. Following last weekend’s carnage in which three cyclists were killed by cars, the chief coroner is reportedly considering an investigation into cycle safety. Judge Neil MacLean’s willingness to look into the issue is welcome. An inquiry by a member of the judiciary might just jolt motorists into awareness that bikes are entitled to be on the roads, and remind them how vulnerable cyclists are to a tonne or more of speeding metal.These things should be obvious to competent drivers but, sadly, many motorists seem to need it spelt out in black and white. When a car collides head-on with a cyclist, or mows down a cyclist from behind, or turns across the path of a cyclist, chances are the driver will be unhurt but the cyclist will be killed or seriously maimed. If the car is travelling at 70km/h or more, the cyclist has...
News: November 2010
Nov
Cycle Action Auckland announces Bikes for Life: a public rally for action to improve cycling safety in Auckland - 11am this Sunday, 5 December, on Queens Wharf, Auckland. “Cycle riding benefits health, air quality, carbon emissions, the economy, traffic congestion and happiness. It is an important transport choice that enhances our cities and lives. Despite this, the recent spate of deaths and rising levels of cycling injuries in Auckland shows how hostile our roads can be to people on bicycles.” says Barbara Cuthbert, Spokesperson for Cycle Action Auckland.“Voters in Auckland’s Supercity elections last month gave overwhelming support to policies for a liveable city – lively public spaces, better public transport, and safer, easier walking and cycling. The new Council and Auckland Transport have been quick to address cycling safety– but the lack of...
Nov
Back Benches current affairs TV show - Cycling stories start half way through chapter 1:Russell Tregonning on Great Harbour Way. Stephen Franks, Rajen Prasad and Gareth Hughes on road behviour, helmets, and riding in France. CAN's Alana Joe on share the road. Peter Sheppard on driver training.Stream it here tvnz.co.nz/back-benches
Nov
Five cyclists killed in six days - including British tourist Jane Mary Bishop, run over by a truck after she swerved to avoid a car door a motorist opened on Tamaki Drive, Auckland - has fuelled debate over road safety in New Zealand and the rights of cyclists versus motorists. I find myself in two worlds about this matter: in both camps. I drive the V8. I am the man who honks. I love the car; the car rules the road. But I am also the cyclist. I ride the Avanti about 100km a week. I have cycled for about five years, done thousands of kilometres and never once have I come close to being killed. When I did come close to being injured it was when an idiot opened his car and almost collected me, because they never used their rear-vision mirror. If I had swerved to avoid that door and a car had been coming close by, it might well have hit me. So I suppose I have been lucky. I think...
Nov
Elly Blue for Grist: Metal drain covers, stray gravel and potholes – all villains in a unique study of cycling accidents in Portland.One dark night last summer, my front tyre caught a rut in a bumpy back street. I went flying and landed on my hands and helmet. My bike flipped in the air and fell on top of me. I sat there in the road for several minutes taking inventory. Scraped hands. Bent glasses. Going to need some new bar tape, but everything else in one piece. I walked the last two blocks to my house and went to bed. The next morning I yanked my brake lever back into position and rode off to go get my glasses fixed, eat a big breakfast, and put in a half day at work. I was shaky, but not too worse for the wear.This was my only crash in five years of riding my bike in Portland, Oregon, for miles every day. Which is...
Nov
New Zealand's cyclist crash statistics are among the worst in the developed world. Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean's response - to consider if driving laws need to be changed - is a step in the right direction. Sadly, it has taken the lives of five cyclists to get to this point, despite more than 10 years of petitions and submissions. Some motorists say cyclists deserve what they get, because they behave badly and take risks. However, Transport Ministry statistics show that carelessness and irresponsibility on the part of motorists cause 75 per cent of motorist- cyclist collisions. Two factors affect motorists' attitudes. One is New Zealand's no-fault accident system, in which - although ACC knows that motorists cause accidents - levies are not increased to cover cyclists' injuries and rehabilitation. Similarly, insurance companies don't stop no-claims...
Nov
OPINION: The appallingly high number of cyclists killed on New Zealand roads in the last few weeks might prove to be a statistical blip, but the probability is that it signals a trend. That is the consequence of a deadly equation: more cyclists on the roads and roads ill-equipped to accommodate them safely. New Zealanders have had a love-hate relationship with the bicycle since the machines became freely available in the 1890s. They provided transport unencumbered by the bothersome horse or the expensive motorcar, and they provided it free. But the bicycle was also the target of resentment, for providing a scandalous freedom of movement for women and an inconvenience to vehicles and pedestrians. This ambivalence has waxed and waned according to circumstance. As the cities grew and workers and school children found the bike vital to their coming and going, acceptance grew; as...
Nov
The current proposal is for a shared path (for both cyclists and pedestrians like Ara Harakeke) to be constructed from Takapu Station through to Kenepuru Station and for most part following the railway corridor. Porirua City Council will pick up the pathway from Kenepuru Station north. Advantages of the current proposala) Will travel past the existing MTB skills area developed by TORRC, hence there will be greater exposure and opportunity to use this cycling asset.b) Direct connection from Tawa college to Tawa Pool across railway line where currently there is none.c) New bridge connection from Tawa's Linden Park, north to the existing maintenance track between the Porirua Stream and railway line. This will create a viable low traffic route connection for cyclists and walkers from Porirua railway station to Takapu road. From Porirua station north there is an...
Nov
To all road users - The case for cycling and safer roads for all:Over the last two weeks there has been a great deal of attention given to cycling. As leaders in the cycling community; BikeNZ and the Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) feel this open letter is warranted, as we want more New Zealanders to enjoy the pleasure and benefits of cycling without fearing for their lives. We don't consider cycling a dangerous activity and believe some of the recent commentary has been ill-founded and irresponsible.We would like to make a number of important points in the debate on how to make our roads safer for all.Cycling is a healthy exercise. Regular cycling reduces illness. Cycling doesn't burn expensive fossil fuels, so more cycling equals a lower import bill and less pollution. Bicycles don't take up as much space as a car and so increased cycling reduces road congestion. The number of...
Nov
In remembrance of the three Morrinsville cyclists Willie Muller, Mark Fergusson and Kay Wolfe who were tragically killed last week, the Morrinsville Wheelers Cycling Club is organising a ride of Remembrance and Reflection on the Tuesday 23rd of November 2010. Everyone in the greater community is welcome to join this cycle ride Date: 23 November 2010 Time: 6pm everyone is to meet. Ride starts at 6.30pm Location: Hangawera Road - (first road on the left hand side as you drive north out of Morrinsville). Event: There will be a brief memorial service. Then a Police escorted ride (front & back) with an average speed of 25km/hr for a 21km ride. This is around the Hangawera Road circuit, one of Willie Muller's favourite circuits with the club. Everyone is welcome...
Nov
New Zealand roads often seem to be ruled by the maxim, might is right.In the name of self-interest, this is perfectly understandable. A 40-tonne truck-and-double-trailer rig will do a lot more damage than a mobility scooter and can take a power of stopping, so it generally pays to offer it plenty of respect, regardless of any subtleties in the Road Code.However, a healthier attitude would be one guided above all by a keen awareness of the right of the most vulnerable to be safe.The danger that cyclists face on our roads has been highlighted during the past week, in which five have been killed - three of them from one accident - and a Blenheim 12-year-old critically injured after being hit by a truck while biking to school.Transport Minister Stephen Joyce is holding a watching brief and suggests if investigations into the spate of accidents point to possible safety measures the...
Nov
Those bereaved by the deaths of five cyclists in as many days over the last week may be assured of the sympathies of us all. But in turning from individual tragedy to examine the wider implications for road-user policy, it is important to keep the matter in perspective. This is not an epidemic, nor even an upsurge, but a statistical blip. On average, 10 cyclists die on New Zealand roads each year. The carnage of the last few days has taken this year's death toll to 10 and it is probable that the blaze of publicity surrounding the recent deaths will prompt a temporary outbreak of on-road watchfulness and a lull in crash rates. In short, 2010 is on track to be an average year. The problem is that in an average year about 750 cyclists are injured, along with the 10 who die; the cost to the country in medical treatment, accident compensation and rehabilitation runs into the millions...
Nov
The Great Harbour Way will provide a cycleway and walkway to link Wellington and Lower Hutt, so it was logical that the newly-elected leaders of the two cities – Celia Wade-Brown of Wellington (right) and Ray Wallace of Lower Hutt (centre) – took part in this morning’s mayoral ride.Several hundred cyclists accepted the invitation from Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and gathered under the sails on Queens Wharf in readiness for the ride.Some of them will have been aware that the Wellington City Council’s waterfront company has announced the really bad idea of reducing the size of this open space so that it can enlarge one of the buildings on its edge – an idea which the new council must surely oppose.Watched by the Duke of Wellington, the mayor removed her cycling helmet before she spoke to the crowd about her hopes for the Great Harbour Way. When it’s completed, it will run...
Nov
The death of a young woman cyclist, a visitor from Britain, on Tamaki Drive last week demonstrates yet again the need for a better accommodation of all the ways in which people enjoy this jewel of a road. Motorists, cyclists, joggers, strollers, are all drawn to the flat waterfront drive with its headlands and bays and sweeping views of the harbour entrance and inner gulf and deserve to be able to use it more safely. After four cyclists were injured by a car last year, the old Auckland City Council spent $455,000 on improvements, mostly warning signs alerting drivers to the likely presence of cyclists and encouraging cyclists and walkers to report hazards. But these steps did not save British nurse Jane Mary Bishop, who died of injuries received last Wednesday as she cycled past a parked car. Its door opened and when she swerved to avoid it, she was hit by a truck. It is...
Nov
Red double-decker buses and black cabs have long been iconic symbols of London, but Britain's capital may soon become just as famous for its distinctive blue and silver rental bicycles.As its public transit system struggles to cope with growing passenger loads, London is starting to embrace cycling. This year it launched a new bicycle-sharing system that allows residents to rent a bicycle from hundreds of locations in central London. Government officials and cycling groups agree that unless London pushes itself to become one of the world's most bike-friendly cities, it will struggle to meet the demands placed on its rail, bus and underground networks. But cycling campaigners say the city has a long way to go before it has the infrastructure needed on its busy and sometimes dangerous streets to tempt enough people onto two wheels. "There's obviously a huge amount that needs...
Nov
Road safety is no accident, nor is it a joke.Allow me to debunk myths about people who ride bikes, (R Fowles, DomPost letters 20 Nov)Let's look at the facts.It's not ok to break the rules, whether you are on a bike or driving. Ministry of Justice figures show just one percent of traffic offences are committed by people on bikes.The Cycling Advocates Network's 'Stop at Red' and 'Cruise the Waterfront' campaigns promote responsible cycling.Riding two abreast is legal, although cyclists need to show courtesy to other road users by not impeding the flow of traffic.People who ride bikes certainly pay their share for roads. Roads are funded by rates and taxes. Cyclists that own or rent property pay rates, and pay income tax and GST. Most adults who cycle are also car owners and so pay as a motorist.Most road funding goes towards fixing wear-and-tear that motor vehicles cause to roads. The...
Nov
. "An upgrade of New Plymouth pathways drawing from a $4 million fund will be the first major stage of the city's multi-million walking and cycling overhaul.Seven pathways are to be widened in parts, sealed and made easier to walk and cycle.In June the city was named one of two model walking and cycling communities.The New Plymouth District Council project, named Let's Go, is designed to link the coastal walkway with existing paths and change travel behaviour, says project manager Carl Whittleston." Full story:http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/4366985/Pathways-to-be-widened-in-upgrade
Nov
Cyclists welcome Chief Coroner's decision to investigate crashesThe Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) and BikeNZ welcome the Chief Coroner's decision to investigate recent cycling crashes.Spokesman Patrick Morgan said the inquest will examine whether there were any patterns and possible law changes needed."CAN and BikeNZ are keen to help the coroner in any way with our expertise."He said CAN and BikeNZ are committed to raising the standard of cycling."Road safety is no accident.""We are all responsible for making our roads safer - whether we are on a bike or behind the wheel.""That's why we have developed cycle skills training programmes for children through to adults, based on world-best practice.""We ask the government for sufficient investment to introduce these programmes to every child."Mr Morgan likened it to swimming. "Every child in New Zealand deserves the...
Nov
Merry Cycling Christmas from CAN Safer Traffic Speeds - Share With Care - Invest in a Winner Your support of CAN is appreciated. We are raising awareness with all people receiving e-CAN about the opportunity to support CAN financially, either by joining CAN as a financial member or becoming a regular donor. Don’t you hate it when they pass you too close or cut you off? Don’t you wish there were more attractive and safe cycleways? Would you like to see more cycling opportunities for children? We are all distressed to hear news of the recent deaths. Making our roads safer is a key part of our mission. CAN volunteers and staff have been working hard to advocate for lower speeds, a share the road culture, and more investment in cycling. With your support for...