News

2016-17 Report from Committee Chair

26
Mar

Chair’s Report 2016 to 17 

This is the report a summary of which was approved by CAN's 2017 AGM.  The new Governance system of CAN and the new fee subscription system were also approved at the AGM, so some parts of this report were superseded then.

 

Summary

This report summarises the activities of CAN’s central Committee, paid staff and national-body volunteers since the 2016 AGM in Hamilton.  ‘Headline’ issues included-

 

 Reacting to changes in regulations and NZTA’s push to grow cycling were a main part of CAN’s core...

March 26, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Chainlinks March 2017

20
Mar

Click through here for an online version of this recent edition of CAN's periodical.  Articles on overtaking gap research, cycle touring experiences, quaxing and more.

 

Chainlinks 

March 2017

In this issue

CAN-Do next weekend!

New Cycling Research Causes a Flurry

CAN is Targeting Politicians

Recycling bikes for those who need them

CAN's Share the Road campaign rolls on

Government Policy- opinion piece

Stories of Touring &...

March 20, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

The GPS that's got a whole transport system lost

18
Mar

No it’s not to do with route finding but the Government Policy Statement on land transport 2018

The Statement, updated every 3 years, sets out Government’s policies for investment in land transport for the coming decade. The Ministry of Transport have recently issued a draft for consultation.

 

The document has so far received an unenthusiastic reception from transport experts and professionals with The NZ Institute of Engineers’ Transport Group making warning submissions prior to the draft and the respected Auckland Transport Blog crying, in a piece partly titled...

March 18, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

‘I’m sure it is against some law...’

17
Mar

‘I don’t know the actual law, but I’m sure it is against some law’. Steven Muir writes about being made to feel like a criminal without being given much supporting evidence:

My crime? I wanted to carry three lengths of stainless steel home on my bike for my latest trailer project.

It was around 10 kg of material in 3 m lengths that I planned to strap to the top tube of my bike, a method I’ve safely used before. I paid for the steel; then the conversation with the salesman at Steel & Tube Bromley went something like this:

Salesman: Sir, do you think you could...

March 17, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

New Bike Books

17
Mar

It’s a pretty standard part of any cycleway debate to have someone say “But we’re not Amsterdam, people are never going to bike here”

Here I review Pete Jordan’s In the City of Bikes, an immigrant American’s view of biking in Amsterdam, and Janette Sadik Khan’s Streetfight, about her battle to turn New York into the Amsterdam of the US.

Jordan moved to Amsterdam because he was entranced by Amsterdam bike culture. One of his first steps (after acquiring a bike of his own) was to purchase a traditional omfiets bike for his soon to arrive girlfriend. After lovingly...

March 17, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

New cycling research causes a flurry

17
Mar

Three interesting research reports about cycling have just been publicly released by the NZ Transport Agency and already they’re causing a bit of a stir around cycling circles (and elsewhere…). Cycling in Christchurch previously alluded to these pieces of work being underway, and their findings have some interesting implications for cycling policy in New Zealand.

Should footpath cycling be legal? (c/ Abley Trptn & Mackie Research)

Probably the one attracting the most immediate attention is the one regarding cycling on footpaths, partly because...

March 17, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Stephen Wood's North Island Wanderings

17
Mar

Last year's CAN Do meeting in Hamilton was a good opportunity to have a couple of weeks away cycling.

I flew to Auckland with my touring bike. The ride started inauspiciously, as the road from the airport had road works and I missed a turn-off.

Men in hi-vis overalls urgently flagged me off the road next to a sign marking the start of a motorway. They asked me to sign their visitor's book and gave me a ride to the old Mangere Bridge. From there I navigated to my brother's place in Mt Eden.

Next day I rode into the city via Queen St, unaware of...

March 17, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Re-Bicycle Donating Used Bikes to Refugees

17
Mar

ReBicycle gets rolling in Wellington


Wellington is the latest town to get its very own bike library and community bicycle upcycling scheme. ReBicycle Charitable Trust was founded recently to help collect used bikes and fix them up for refugees and other low income families. ‘So far the response has been fantastic with more donations than we have room for’, said project manager, Hilleke Townsend. ‘There’s been great help from the community as well, with Red Cross keen to help their refugee families get mobile and other organisations also showing interest’.

 

ReBicycle has...

March 17, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

STR Workshop Registration Page

17
Mar

Workshop Registration Page

To register online for a Driver/Trainer Workshop please click here. 

To register online for a Cyclist Workshop please click here. 

Alternatively you can download the Registration form below.  Just fill out the form on your computer (or print and complete by hand, then scan or take a photo).  Then email it to will@can.org.nz.

Or just register on the phone with Will Andrews on 021 026 92724.  Will can also answer any queries you might have about the workshops.

March 17, 2017 RichardBarter READ MORE

CAN on Auckland's Transport Issues

16
Mar

CAN's spokesperson Patrick Morgan was asked to contribute to this TV3 discussion on Auckland's ongoing transport woes and plans.

 

The discussion included Patrick Reynolds of Auckland Transport Blog and Barney Irvine of the AA.  As Reynolds said, 'We've had 65 years of only investing in roads in Auckland' (Patrick's contribution is about 18 minutes in).  Click here for a link to the video clip posted to Facebook.

March 16, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

CAN-Do Registration Still Open

25
Feb

The CAN-Do is NZ's major annual meeting of cycling advocates.

Register and find more info here.

Location: Wellington
Date: Saturday 25 - Sunday 26 March 2017

Theme: BikeCentennial - celebrating 200 years of fun, freedom and adventure

Registration: Register online here.

Costs:

Members: $100; Day Registration $60 (not including Saturday Evening dinner)Non-Members: $140 whole weekend, $80 day (consider joining CAN to save)

If cost is a barrier, CAN has...

February 25, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

NZ's obesity timebomb is car-related

8
Feb

Recent media stories highlight the appalling inactivity of today's Kiwi kids.

Cycling Action Network is calling for urgent action to curb childhood obesity.

A New Zealand study last year found that obese children are showing signs from a young age that they are at risk of developing serious weight-related problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart, and liver disease. Nationally, an estimated 85,000 children aged 2-14 years are obese, according to the 2016 New Zealand Health Survey.

Now, research by the same authors show that fewer than one in five of our kids (19...

February 8, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Aotearoa Bike Challenge 2016

1
Feb

 

Let's get more people riding!

This summer the New Zealand Transport Agency is rolling out an exciting new campaign to boost cycling all across the country.  With tailored guidance and tips, a friendly workplace competition, and lots of great prizes on offer, it's a great time to ride bikes in NZ.

Register here and get your workmates & friends cycling!

There are local leaderboards for Wellington, Auckland,...

February 1, 2017 stephenw READ MORE

CAN Members - Nominate your new Board

1
Feb

The new Board will have Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, three Regional Members and one or two Independent Members.

The Executive will have three members doing the day-to-day work of running CAN, plus, for the 2017-18 year, a fourth member managing the re-structure.

 

The various jobs and duties are set out in CAN's new Rules (PDF) which will come into effect at the AGM on March 26th 2017.  The open roles are as follows; links are to pages with more information on each position-

ChairTreasurerSecretaryIndependent board members, but these...

February 1, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Bike Wise Whanganui programme for February 2017

30
Jan

See the attached PDF poster for all the Bike Wise events in February in Whanganui

January 30, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

Looking back- Share the Road's 2016

23
Dec

From Adelaide via Bologna and Invercargill to Upper Hutt and beyond, Share the Road has hit the road hard (but safely!) this year, spreading our message of empathy between the biggest and smallest of road users.

 

We’ve put drivers on bikes and riders in trucks in Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Taupo, Hamilton, Nelson, Hokitika and Dunedin. In 2016 alone, the campaign has personally reached over 1,000 people in the transport industry, but the statistic we’re most proud of is that 93% of workshop participants reported a positive change in their...

December 23, 2016 Will Andrews READ MORE

Give the perfect bike for Christmas

14
Dec

A bicycle is always near the top of the Christmas wish list, says Cycling Action Network spokesman Patrick Morgan.

This year is no different with TradeMe reporting bikes in the top searches.

“Kids of all ages love cycling,” he says.

"With new cycle trails now open all over New Zealand, it's going to be a biking hot summer."

For those lucky enough to find a bicycle at the foot of the Christmas tree, Mr Morgan has some tips:

·...

December 14, 2016 Patrick READ MORE

Advice for cyclists travelling south from Picton

5
Dec

The main route between Picton and Christchurch on State Highway 1 is closed due to substantial slips and road damage following the 14 November earthquake.

NZTA advice: The alternate state highway route between Picton and Christchurch is via state highways 7, 65, 6 and 63 via Murchison and Lewis Pass. However, we recommend that cyclists avoid this route and follow the advice below.

 

CYCLISTS TRAVELLING BETWEEN PICTON AND CHRISTCHURCH

Due to the combination of increased traffic volumes (in particular large trucks) and a lack of shoulder space on the alternate state highway route...

December 5, 2016 Patrick READ MORE

Snowballing vehicles - how do we regulate eBikes and other low powered vehicles?

1
Dec

[photo: "motorbike? eBike? S-Pedelec?" workshop participants debate the status of an electric vehicle]

 

"It's just snowballed" was the introduction from ViaStrada's John Lieswyn, to an NZTA workshop on the regulation of eBikes and other low powered vehicles. 

I attended (on my eBike, of course) thinking that I was reasonably up to speed, having invested a bit of time in developing CAN's Electric Assist Bicycles policy. But I hadn't really appreciated the range of power assisted transport that is appearing, and the potential headaches that they pose for regulators. What...

December 1, 2016 AlastairS READ MORE

We have time machines, they're called bikes: review of "Bike and Beyond"

30
Nov

Review of:
Williamson, Laura (2016) The Bike and Beyond: life on two wheels in Aotearoa New Zealand. BWB texts. $15 softback, $5 eBook.

Wanaka based, but of Canadian origins, Laura Williamson has been writing about biking in NZ for a couple of decades, including contributing to the MTB magazine Spoke. She's concerned that despite the growth in recreational cycling, we're still wedded to our cars for commuting and utility trips. "Biketivism", or social action that challenges the primacy of the car, has been around...

November 30, 2016 AlastairS READ MORE