News

New Zealand's idiosyncratic give-way road rules are set to change.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has this morning unveiled the Government's Safer Journeys 10-year road safety strategy.

In a speech at parliament, Mr Joyce confirmed a package of measures to tackle teen drivers. The package will go to Cabinet this month. It includes:

* Raising the driving age from 15 to 16;

* Requiring novice drivers to have 120 hours' supervised practice before driving alone;

* Introducing a zero drink-drive limit for drivers under 20;

* Better education;

* An...

Prominent Auckland architects, Copeland Associates, are about to start work on design concepts for the Auckland Harbour Bridge Pathway. We'd like your input, please take the short survey here:
http://survey.usuite.com/survey/7c130cf3178940d2a8421693b340d7f5.sur

Other news:
We're forming a Pathway Steering Group to meet monthly and oversee the delivery of the project.
We continue to meet fortnightly with NZTA regarding the Pathway.
We're working to a deadline of the Rugby World Cup - next year!

All the best,

Andy Smith
andysmith@...

CAN has produced a guide for instructors. You can download it from the bottom of this page.
It includes lesson plans, road layout diagrams, and how to set up a training course.

Course Summary
On successful completion of this course the trainees will have completed the NZ Cycle Skills Training Guidelines Grade One and Two outcomes.

Following is a summary of the exercises contained in the course.

Session 1: Bike, helmet, clothing check. Brakes, starting and stopping, shoulder check, gears, slalom, emergency stop and signalling.
Session 2...

If you are going to have a lawn, TreeHugger Mike recommends a reel (or push) mower. (But then, he is an addict) If you are going to have a really big lawn, talk to Ted Wojcik. He built this mower, seen at the North American Handmade Show. He normally builds more conventional bikes at Ted Wojcik Custom Bicycles in New Hampshire.

According to his website,

For details and event programme, please see event lisiting on this page. Jess at Sport BoP is looking for a few expereinced cyclists to help teach basic bike handling and some on road safety (in off road, mock situations) at hte Childrens day in the Redwoods on sunday 7 March. Please consider coming along to help and also please pass on to anyone you think may be interested in volunteering.

cheers

Please support the Council's proposal to improve cyclist safety on Thorndon Quay. Make a submission  - it only takes a couple of minutes.

Over the past 10 years, the average number of commuter cyclists on Thorndon Quay has increased from 75 to 300 per hour during peak hours. The average reported crashes between cycles and vehicles have also increased from one to six per year, making Thorndon Quay one of the most dangerous roads in Wellington for cyclists.

Most cycle / vehicle crashes occur in the southbound direction between 7.00am to 9.00am, usually resulting from...

A Hastings man has given 62 new bicycles to a local school to get children back on bikes.

Paul McArdle has also given St Mary's Primary School 225 helmets, four bike tracks, a bike shed and an elite cyclist to coach the youngsters.

It is a package worth about $75,000, mostly from his own pocket.

Today (19 Feb 2010) at St Mary's, Prime Minister John Key will introduce Mr McArdle's Bikes in the School initiative, which aims to give every primary school pupil access to a bicycle and track.

St Mary's principal Liz Crowley said the scheme had been...

The New Zealand Transport Agency is to be asked to investigate making high-visibility vests and brightly coloured helmets compulsory for cyclists as a result of the death of a Dunedin man who was struck by a vehicle on State Highway 1 near Allanton last year.

Otago-Southland region coroner David Crerar will also recommend the agency investigate making the use of headlights compulsory at all times for vehicles on the open road, to make them as visible as possible to other road users.

Mr Crerar said he would make the recommendations in his final...

Hamilton police are trying to identify a woman found dead in a creek with a bicycle yesterday morning.

Senior Sergeant Karl Thornton, of Hamilton, said a member of the public found the woman's body in knee deep water in Waitawhiriwhiri Stream, in Edgecumbe Park, Hamilton, at 11.35am yesterday.

"It appears she was riding a bike at a fair speed down the steep path, skid marks at the scene suggest she's failed to negotiate a corner and struck a tree before coming to a rest in the stream. Her death is not being treated as suspicious and has been referred to the Coroner while we...