News

Cyclists Encouraged to Lighten Up

29
Apr

Throughout May, Council staff and police will be out talking with cyclists as part of our annual safety campaign. Cyclists who are not visible enough will be stopped and given temporary lights and vouchers for reflective gear and lights to be used at a selection of Wellington shops.

The Council's Transport Safety Education Coordinator Anna Blomquist says not to panic if you're stopped at the Police checks.

"All we're doing is encouraging cyclists to be brighter and therefore safer. The more likely you are to be seen the less likely you are to be hit."

"Meanwhile...

April 29, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

NZ's most bike-friendly city in 2015

29
Apr

The city of Long Beach is undergoing a transformation: the goal of the council is to make Long Beach the most bike-friendly city in the USA. With a bike-friendly mayor and big support from the city council and many businesses, their plans are ambitious. They are thinking big and acting fast.

This is a great 5 minute clip. The city is creating physically protected cycleways, roads with unique green striping in the middle to keep bikes out of the door-zone (GREAT idea!), Southern California's first bicycle boulevard, and hundreds of additional bike racks. They also have a...

April 29, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Cruise the Waterfront

28
Apr

Wellington cyclists are cleaning up their act with a courtesy campaign aimed at curbing bad biking behaviour on the waterfront.

Video: https://youtu.be/eY8FSTlH5C8

News release from Cycle Aware Wellington

Cyclists call for courtesy on the waterfront
8 May 2010

Wellington cyclists are cleaning up their act with a courtesy campaign aimed at curbing bad biking behaviour on the waterfront.

Cycle Aware...

April 28, 2010 Patrick READ MORE

Two-wheeled Tribes

26
Apr

On New York’s hurried streets, one passing cyclist can appear no different from another. But cyclists are hardly a monolithic subculture — more like a collection of finely divided sub-subcultures, each with its own uniform, lingo and attitude toward the bicycle’s place in the urban landscape. Here’s a look at members of five different cycling tribes.Bike messengers continue to hold their place as iconic New York riders, but Transportation Alternatives, a group that advocates cycling, walking and public transit, counted only 1,700 of them last year; there are about twice as many food...

April 26, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Your Sustainable Transport Guide

26
Apr

This Guide has been developed with key industry players to help all businesses and organisations take up sustainable transport options. This is a visible and often immediate way for businesses to show their commitment to sustainability and a great start for any sustainability journey. Sustainable transport practices can also deliver significant cost savings, by reducing airfares, fleet costs, fuel costs, car parking and freight costs. Some less obvious benefits are improved employee health from walking, cycling and running to work, increased productivity and a reduction in employee...

April 26, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Cycle Training in Holland

26
Apr

I had always been under the impression that it was so easy to cycle in Holland that no cycle training was required or delivered. But I am mistaken; cycle training in the Netherlands:

April 26, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Cyclists, don't be gutter-bunnies, urges motoring organisation

26
Apr

The Institute of Advanced Motorists is urging cyclists to make themselves seen and to "claim their lane", moving out into the middle of the lane when approaching a junction or parked cars.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has 100,000+ members and runs the advanced driving test.

Duncan Pickering, IAM Cycling Development Manager, said: "There has been some debate as to whether cyclists should stick to the kerb or push out into the road when riding in built-up areas. Our advice to cyclists, based on a comprehensive study, is to stay near to...

April 26, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Why I was foolish to mock police bike training

26
Apr

I'm walking through the 1960s housing estate when a policeman, cycling furiously, overtakes. In a single elegant move he rear-wheel skids his bike to halt, drops the bike and approaches, arm held out: "Just a second, sir." I take an instinctive step back – straight on to the front wheel of another police bike. A burly arm pulls me backwards across the handlebars. Helpless, my collar is well and truly felt.

This is, luckily, a training exercise, but if the officers involved – PCs James Aveling and Mike Notley – had been minded to take me in for questioning you could understand...

April 26, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Fans say council move will end free bikes

26
Apr

Cycling advocates say Auckland will lose a valuable extension of its public transport system if a bike rental operator is squeezed out by the city council.

The council has ordered rental operator Nextbike to remove 69 of its 170 bikes from street fixtures by the end of the month, to comply with a resource consent and free its bike racks for general cyclists.

But the company, which says it provides 55 per cent of rides on its bikes free to 2000 registered users, says that unless it can expand its fleet it will have to pull the plug on a loss-making operation.

It...

April 26, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Two Articles of interest

24
Apr

Two articles of interest from my friends.

New Delhi high court ruling on cycle rickshaws, that included cylists as well http://www.livemint.com/2010/03/17205103/Progress-in-an-urban-mess.html

John Pucher's progress in Infrastructure, programs, and policies to increase bicycling from a health perspective http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Pucher_Dill_Handy10.pdf

cheers,

Sridhar

April 24, 2010 Sridhar READ MORE

The Civia Loring: beautiful bikes are back

23
Apr

Riding a bike like this sends a clear advocacy message: cycling is more than just a sport. Everyday cycling is back, and beautiful.

A new breed of simple, stylish, practical city bike is making a comeback overseas and is starting to arrive here. These bikes are easy to ride and low-maintenance, harking back to the ones some of us grew up with, but with modern 8- or 9-speed hub gears and disc brakes, their performance is in a different league. And some are gorgeous, like the Civia Loring from the USA.

The Loring is designed for shorter trips around town (up to 10km),...

April 23, 2010 Anne F READ MORE

Cyclist hit deliberately in Powderham Street

22
Apr

A cyclist was deliberately knocked off his bike in an incident New Plymouth police have branded as road rage....

See: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3608495/Cyclist-hit-deliberately

April 22, 2010 Graeme READ MORE

Pay full attention while cycling

21
Apr

The Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) says cyclists, like all road users, need to pay full attention while on the road.

A woman cyclist killed yesterday after being struck by a train near Tauranga is believed to have been listening to an iPod-style music player.

CAN spokesman Bevan Woodward recommends that people shouldn't use headphones while cycling.

“The Road Code is clear. All drivers – and this includes cyclists – must not allow themselves to be...

April 21, 2010 Patrick READ MORE

iPod warning after cyclist killed in crash with train

21
Apr

A woman cyclist killed after being struck by a train is believed to have been distracted listening to an iPod-style music player, prompting warnings about the dangers of the devices.

The 55-year-old, from Tauranga, was crossing a rail intersection with her bicycle on Matapihi Road, Mount Maunganui, at 2.30pm yesterday when the goods train, pulling six carriages, hit her.

The train driver braked immediately, but she was carried 40m down the tracks.

The woman - who has yet to be formally identified - died instantly.

Tauranga Senior Sergeant Tania Kura said it...

April 21, 2010 Patrick READ MORE

Parkinson's disease symptoms shown to be reduced by forced pedaling on a stationary bicycle

19
Apr

Forced stationary bicycle pedalingtherapy at a high steady cadence (RPM) has recently been shown to significantly reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Dr. Jay Alberts, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic, in a paper presented in Paris, June 15, 2009, reported that Parkinsons disease patients, who were forced to pedal at a high steady rate (80-90 RPM) showed a 35% improvement in motor function.
Dr. Aberts is currently using an electric motorized mini cycle to force Parkinson's patients...

April 19, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Safety concerns a prime reason behind phasing out of Royal Mail bikes (UK)

19
Apr

The Royal Mail has confirmed long-standing rumours that the traditional postal worker’s bike is to be phased out, citing the dangers faced by cyclists on Britain’s roads as a prime motivation behind the decision, and has rejected calls to use cargo tricyles instead of vans to deliver letters and parcels.

Yesterday, the Labour peer Lord Berkeley, secretary of the All-Parliamentary Cycling Group and a critic of the move to dispense with postal delivery bikes, revealed to the House of Lords that Adam Crozier, chief executive of Royal Mail had written to explain...

April 19, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

Mamachari Bicycles in Wellington and beyond

19
Apr

After watching an inspired doco called ‘The Age of Stupid’, my wife Sarah and I began Mamachari Bicycles at the start of 2010 as a way to learn to live more lightly on this beautiful planet we’ve been blessed with. Since then, we’ve become importers, bike mechanics, bloggers, retailers and in a way, cycle advocates.

Now we have an awesome new logo and website put together by our talented neighbours and friends, Hannah and Thomas, who also created World Sweet World. Waiting in the wings, we’re planning to re-locate to have our warehouse, workshop and showroom all under the...

April 19, 2010 Alex admin READ MORE

New foreshore extension bridges looking good in the Taranaki sun

18
Apr

The foreshore pathway extension is under construction.

April 18, 2010 Graeme READ MORE

New Plymouth's Walk/Cycle/Bus Survey

16
Apr

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What would make it easier for New Plymouth residents to leave the car at home when they head to school, work or elsewhere? The New Plymouth District Council are surveying to find out.  Read about it here:

http://www.newplymouthnz.com/HaveYourSay/Consultations/WalkCycleBusSurve...

 

They want to know "What makes it difficult for you to walk, cycle or bus to work, school, or another destination?"

Fill in the survey form on-line here:

http://www.newplymouthnz.com/forms/WalkCycleBusSurvey.aspx

You have got...

April 16, 2010 Graeme READ MORE

Driving age increase welcomed by cyclists – but investment in cycle training needed

15
Apr

The Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) welcomes an increase in the driving age to 16, but says the government also needs to invest in professional cycle training to improve road safety.

CAN spokesperson Anne FitzSimon says one of the best ways to raise driving standards is to make cycle training widely available.

“Trained cyclists make better drivers.”

She says that raising the driving age means more young people will be cycling.

“We all win when cyclists receive proper training.”

“Research published in the...

April 15, 2010 Anne F READ MORE