CAN went to the VéloCity Global conference last month.VéloCity Global is the global get-together for all those interested in the promotion of cycling. The European Cycling Federation organises the event, and this year it was held in Taipei, Taiwan. Our delegate was Will Andrews, from Bicycle Nelson Bays.The president of Trek Bikes, John BurkeThemesIndustry was one of the major threads this year. It was good to witness well-thought out presentations from the big bike manufacturers, showing an understanding the benefits of transportation cycling and the measures needed to get people to swap car journeys for bike. Another theme was familiar from the previous conference in 2014- hearing extended lessons from ‘leader’ cycling countries. We had a huge Dutch display area in the lobby, Danish speakers, a joint ‘Cycling Embassy’ session including the Germans, and talks from...
News: March 2016
Mar
Social media tipsSocial media posts should be:ImmediateTwitter and Facebook work better if you post something immediately.For example, if you're running a cycling event take a quick photo with your phone and post it with a short message.Conversational, friendly, confidentJust be yourself. Don't be scared to show a bit of personality, as long as you're on message.Positive and optimistic about our ability to make changeThere's a lot to gripe about, the world's a terrible place, but mainstream media is already pummelling people with that message, so let's be the glimmer of home and inspiration to make change.Tidy and accurateMake sure spelling is right. Avoid long strings of !!!! or ............ (AND IF YOU'RE OF THE CAPITALS PERSUSASION, PLEASE HOLD BACK, LET'S NOT YELL AT OUR PEOPLE.....!!!!!!!)Shareable...
Mar
Cycle lanes help attract top talent, say UK businessesThe chair of a major UK law firm says cycling infrastructure helps businesses attract top talent in cities like London, and says a "silent majority" of companies support investment in decent cycling routes.David Morley, Senior Partner of Allen & Overy, which employs 3,000 staff worldwide, a third of those in London, says the firm's main assets are its employees and people friendly streets help make an attractive place for those employees to live.Allen & Overy is among 40 businesses within British Cycling's Choose Cycling network, with the aim of demonstrating business support for cycle infrastructure. Morley made the comments after the announcement of a YouGov poll showing 70% of people want to see protected cycle infrastructure on main roads.Strong public support for more segregated cycle...
Mar
Open Letter to a Car-Addicted CityMonday, November 10, 2014 by Brent ToderianSource: http://www.planetizen.com/node/72068/open-letter-car-addicted-cityIt's rare for a newspaper to dedicate two stories in the same issue to the planning, design, and transportation challenges of a city, and even more rare for a newspaper to ask for an additional op-ed piece from a visiting city planner to tie it all together. That's what the Western Australian newspaper did this past week, during my trip to Perth, Australia. I was there at the invitation of the Heart Foundation to work with local state planning and transport staff, local politicians, other stakeholders and media on multi-modal city-making, active transport and smarter land-use. I was also there to help with a broader conversation about a different direction for the city and a necessary culture change around the car.In the interview I did...