News: February 2011

Waterloo Quay Changes"When rail tracks that cross Waterloo Quay are realigned this weekend, we'll be putting rubber around them to make them safer for cyclists."  

Invest in cycling as fuel prices rise, say cyclists.The Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) and Bike NZ say it has never been more urgent for government and business to invest in cycling.As petrol crosses the $2.20 mark more people are looking for alternatives to driving.CAN spokesperson Patrick Morgan says the New Zealand Cycle Trails is an excellent start, but local councils and central government need to shift up a gear to soften the impacts of high fuel prices."We urge councils to meet the demand for safe and convenient cycling by developing cycling plans and investing in cycleways, traffic reduction, bike parking, cyclist training and driver education through the 2012 updates to their Long-Term Council Community Plans."Mr Morgan says business can play a part too."Some workplaces provide secure bike parking, fleet bikes, and changing facilities for staff. These are...

Glen Koorey from the Cycle Action Network examines the sentence handed down to Kristy King on three charges of careless driving causing death.Screened today, 15 Feb 2011:http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/cycling-advocates-say-us-vs-them-attitud...

About 6-7 years ago I went to a talk by Jan Gehl, a Danish architect and one of the worlds most recognised urban designers. He had been brought to Wellington by the city council. He spent a lot of time analysising the city and produced a report:http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/urban/citytowaterfront/gehlreportindex.html .  The big point of the talk that the city was disconnected from the waterfront by  Jervios Quay. This was not rocket science but I really liked his solution. It was not to have more bridges as had been proposed in the past but to reduce Jervios from three to two lanes to change what he called urban mini-motorways into city boulevards. He also suggested this for Kent and Cambridge Terrace. Only then could Jervois be a place for people and yes, bicycles. It was a beatifully simple idea that solved multiple problems but the council did not accept it. Instead they...

Just before Christmas the organising committee for the next NZ Cycling Conference agreed it was time to seriously consider holding a joint walking and cycling conference. This would replace the biennial cycling conference earmarked for late 2011. Discussions were held with Living Streets Aotearoa (organisers of the NZ Walking Conference series) and agreement in principle was reached on this concept.The proposed joint event would be called the NZ Walking and Cycling Conference and the intention is to hold it in late February or early March 2012. Representatives from LSA have joined the conference organising committee to help plan the event.Those who have been involved in past NZ walking and cycling conferences will know that this joint concept has come up regularly over the years. The arguments for and against still hold. On the one hand, it provides a great opportunity to attract a...

TV3's Campbell Live does "share the road" including:Taking the laneLook, signal, movecourtesy1.5 million people ride bikes in NZadvice for group riding (use less busy routes, less busy times)and more. The driving instructor's advice was also pretty sound:scan for people on bikesanticipate that the rider may need to take the lane at pinch pointshang back a few secondsview hereFebruary is bikewise month - and there's never been more need to pay more attention on the roads.In the last 12 months a dozen cyclists have been killed on our roads, and around 800 cyclists have been injured.That's not even counting all unreported incidents, but in those that are reported, statistics shows that 75% of the time it's motorists who were at fault.Ask motorists though and they'll usually tell you cyclists are the ones to blame.So who's in the wrong?We decided to find out. We put Emma...

Transport expert to stand for Greens Transport and urban planning expert Julie Anne Genter has been selected as the Green Party candidate for the Mt Roskill electorate in the 2011 general election. “Transport is the biggest issue facing Auckland. I’m standing for the Greens because they are the only party with the practical, evidence-based policies that will deliver us a world class city with a 21st century transport system,” said Ms Genter.Ms Genter was born in the United States and graduated with highest honours from UC Berkeley. At the University of Auckland she earned a Masters of Planning Practice with first class honours, and has since worked as a consultant undertaking ground-breaking research in transport and urban economics and advising central and local government in New Zealand and overseas.“Mt Roskill has one of the highest percentages of overseas born residents in the...