News: December 2011

Bicycles and summer go together, and kids of all ages will be heading out on new bikes this Christmas.Cycling Advocates' Network spokesperson Patrick Morgan says a bicycle is often near the top of the Christmas wish list.In 2005 a BBC poll ranked the bicycle as the favourite invention, ahead of electricty and the internet.For those lucky enough to find a bicycle at the foot of the Christmas tree, Cycling Advocates' Network has some tips:Cycling is fun; having fun is more important than going fast Learn how to use your brakes Get started with firm tyre pressure Be courteous when sharing bike paths with walkers Get a bell and use it Give yourself space - stay out of the car door range Learn the road rules.Mr Morgan says if your bike has been sitting in the shed since last summer holidays, take a few minutes to give it some TLC."Before each ride check your ABC: air pressure in tyres,...

This research, which was conducted from July 2008 to January 2010, investigated what type of cycling infrastructure would encourage 'new cyclists' (i.e. people who either do not currently cycle at all, or people who do not currently cycle for utilitarian trips) to use cycling as their mode of transport for daily activities in New Zealand.The research involved undertaking an international literature review followed by national surveys and Christchurch-based focus groups, to gain an understanding of some of the motivations and barriers associated with utilitarian cycling, and to evaluate a range of cycling facilities.The research showed that safety was the most significant issue for potential cyclists, particularly in relation to vehicle driver behaviour and traffic volume. Other significant issues included having facilities at the destination for showering and changing, enjoyment, and...

Some of the most powerful things that have effected change throughout history appear to have been symbols.Symbols hint at something bigger, deeper, beyond.....Our household was blessed recently to have hosted Hutch - a wonderful kind man in his seventies, cycling the world, meeting people...and planting seeds of hope.  www.cyclingpeace.org (We have met some wonderful folk through the "Warm Showers List" - where people from all over the world offer hospitality to cycle tourists.  "Sign up!" is my advice!)So bicycle as symbol resonates as we explore new territory of post-imperialism, of healthier more connected more local lives.  Lives operated at a speed where our communities can encouter us - and we our communities.One challenge is for us to develop a new vocabularly - of sharing, inter-connectedness and inter-dependence.  Shock!  Horror!  Dependency is a GOOD thing!  A simple example...

Cyclists. They’re nothing but a bunch of Green-voting, latte-sipping, inner-city trendoids with an over-developed sense of entitlement.That’s what you’d think if you believed much of the media coverage given to cycling in the past few years. From shock jocks to tabloid TV shows to newspaper columnists, there's always someone ready to have a go at cyclists.Especially media organisations that favour the conservative side of politics.This vilification is curious, given that Australia is a nation of bicycle buyers. Last year, we bought more cycles than cars – something that’s happened every year this century. Of course, a lot of those would be kids’ bikes … but the increasing numbers of riders on the roads and the proliferation of cycling shops should tell you that cycling is, well, on a roll.So, if we are all buying bikes – more than a million sold every year, in a country with a...

Greater Wellington Regional Council is now calling for submissions on the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust's proposal to rebuild the railway from Maymorn to Summit, replacing the Rimutaka Rail Trail. Submissions are due by 31 January 2012.The proposal is substantially as presented to GWRC in November.The specification for the "walking track" has been widened to 4m, and the gradient to a maximum of 5%, but the cost does not appear to have changed!There are some suggested precautions to be taken against fire hazard, including replanting vegetation along the track, but this does not seem to appear in the construction schedule or in the budget.

Yes, it does, says Sam Margolis from the London Borough of Tower HamletsIf you live in London, or in any other major centre in the UK, you may well have seen the adverts promoting free cycling training offered by local authorities. In the absence of high-quality cycling infrastructure, many councils have pushed cycle training schemes as a relatively low-budget method of boosting safer and more cycling.In 2009/10, the total funding for cycle training in London alone was over £3m. It is seen as a useful tool not only to build skills and techniques for riding a bike, but to generate greater cycling levels amongst participants.But to most people, an obvious question remains: are these schemes actually effective at getting more people riding? Some newresearch (which CTC supported) from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End, suggests that cycle training does meet this principle...