News

Wellington's major transport plan needs your help!

11
Dec

Wellington's major transport plan needs your help!

CAN group Cycle Aware Wellington have serious concerns about the Let's Get Wellington Moving process. CAW have called for a more bike-friendly approach:

'We want an obvious, all-new CBD biking network with a consistently high level of service. A grid of north-south and east-west connections that:

- don’t mix with traffic (sharing with buses can be OK for access but doesn’t give a good level of comfort for key routes)

- don’t rely on the waterfront (great for cruising but not a proper transport link)

...

December 11, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Graphic content: The shovels are out!

4
Dec

Yep these are some rough & ugly photos of building, digging and painting, but they are certainly wonderful to see! Thanks Robert, it's not often we see a whole biking network taking shape at once, and it's heartening to think that this reflects what's happening in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Hamilton and other towns. Wow New Zealand!

See Robert's graphic photos here-

http://cyclingchristchurch.co.nz/2017/12/01/guest-post-cycleway-progress...

December 4, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

First NZ Bike Expo is a Success!

2
Nov

The first-ever NZ Bike Expo, which was held in Christchurch on 28-29 October exceeded expectations from exhibitors and visitors alike. Approximately 3,500 people attended the 2-day event held at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, including families, teenagers, and adults of all age groups. 

Event owner Cycling Action Network (CAN) created the event so exhibitors could display the full spectrum of products and services that make up the bicycle world, and to celebrate just how broad the cycling community is. ‘We are absolutely stoked with the response to the Expo. We had very...

November 2, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Bike to the Future Supreme Award recognises Māngere’s walking and cycling transformation

24
Oct

Bike to the Future Supreme Award recognises Māngere’s walking and cycling transformation

Māngere’s walk and cycle-friendly community transformation, Te Ara Mua Future Streets, has received the top honour at the annual Bike to the Future Awards in Christchurch on Thursday night.

The Bike to the Future Awards are organised by the NZ Transport Agency and Cycling Action Network (CAN). They acknowledge New Zealand’s most innovative cycling projects and celebrate the people who are making...

October 24, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

NZTA leadership on safer speed limits required to reduce the road toll

11
Oct

News release: NZTA leadership on safer speed limits required to reduce the road toll.


The quickest fix to reduce our road toll is to adopt safer speed limits. Whilst 100 km/h is appropriate for motorways and wide, straight highways, it is generally unsafe for the remainder of our rural roads.


“The NZ Transport Agency’s introduction of an 80 km/h speed limit on State Highway 1 through the Dome Valley...

October 11, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

New Government urged to take action on road safety as support for Vision Zero increases

6
Oct

New Government urged to take action on road safety as support for Vision Zero increases

 

Advocates are calling on the new Government to take a fresh approach to road safety, as road deaths increase for the fourth year in a row. 

...

October 6, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

Making cycling safer

28
Sep

The Cycling Safety Panel reported in 2014. This year, 16 people have died while cycling. Four in the past week.
It's clear not enough is being done to reduce risk and protect people on bikes. The Cycling Action Network (CAN) Board meets this weekend, and will continue to work with our partners to reduce risk. We're dedicated to safer cycling. What's in progress?
- CAN runs Share the Road workshops with heavy vehicle drivers, and cyclists
- NZTA and ACC have announced $24m for cycle skills training
- The Urban Cycleways Programme is delivering hundreds of km of...

September 28, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

Action on St Asaph Street

25
Sep

It's amazing to see the spread of good cycle infrastructure in Christchurch, along with the completion of new buildings and streets in the CBD. Strange things are happening though- the high-quality route on St Asaph Street is under threat of well-meaning 'changes' that CAN members ought keep an eye on. 

Do you use St Asaph St on a bicycle? Do you have children who go to Discovery? Do you think you will use the Metro sports facility and access it by bicycle? If so, or even if you're not in Christchurch but want to see good quality cycle infrastructure supported in all NZ cities, take a look...

September 25, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Tour Aotearoa 2018

8
Sep

Patrick has completed the Tour Aotearoa, a 3000 km ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff starting on 10 February 2018. Together, we raised more than $6,000 for Cycling Action Network through CAN's Give a Little campaign.

"Thank you for your generosity," says Patrick.

CAN is New Zealand's national network of cycling advocates. We work with government, local authorities, businesses and the community on behalf of cyclists, for a better cycling environment. CAN is an incorporated society (registration number 1139912) and a registered charity (registration number CC36909).

Tour...

September 8, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

Chainlinks August 2017

15
Aug

News from the Network and beyond

 

 

August 2017

In this issue

CAN is organising NZ's first Bike Expo

$24m boost for cycle skills education

Opinion pieces: Cycling advocates- are we communists or fascists!? and We need to talk about parking

Touring: Crossing South Island by tandem & canoe

Auckland: EVs in bus lane and a $635 million plan for cycling

Overseas conferences: Asia-Pacific coming to NZ, and 10 tips from VeloCity (you won't believe no. 8!)...

August 15, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

CAN submission on WCC Shelly Bay Development

4
Aug

CAN submission on WCC Shelly Bay Development

This is a bad deal for Wellington. Why?

 
- severe negative impacts on people walking and cycling
- undermines investments in Cobham Drive walking and cycling route
- creates a 4km gap in the Great Harbour Way
- opaque process
- loss of public space
- what other options have been investigated?
- creates a car-dependent suburb
- poor alignment with Wellington's urban growth plan - creates legal risk over consenting process
- failure to provide social housing
-...

August 4, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

Submission on Auckland Electric Vehicles - Phase Two Trial Bylaw 2017

2
Aug

Submission to NZ Transport Agency on Auckland Electric Vehicles - Phase Two Trial Bylaw 2017

 

 

General comments

 

CAN strongly supports efforts to reduce New Zealand’s transport-related greenhouse gas emissions and supports the introduction of electric vehicles.

 

 

However, CAN is strongly opposed to opening up access by electric vehicles to specified special vehicles lanes on state highways in Auckland. We understand that one of the lanes proposed is a bus only ramp. The other ten lanes that are proposed to be opened up allow access to...

August 2, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

Opinion- Am I a communist or a fascist!?

1
Aug

Or, How cycling made me a bad person. 

 

By Dirk DeLu.

 

Some time ago a friend made a Facebook post. The topic was lobbying for better cycle infrastructure and it generated a number of civil comments, until an anti-cycling commenter described Christchurch cyclists as fascists.

Recently at a Council presentation on cycle infrastructure I was told that being an advocate for cycling made me a communist. 

Both instances illustrate anger, fear and ignorance. Fine, we can safely vilify the opposition; right? No. 

Bringing back cycling as a...

August 1, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Fossil Fuel Free Coast to Coast. To Coast!

1
Aug

By Steve Muir

The idea of the Fossil Fuel Free Coast to Coast to Coast (F3C3) is to have a fun holiday, raise awareness of climate change and encourage the use of active, fossil fuel free transport

We’re particularly interested in journeys that are made regularly and may involve load-carrying, like commuting and shopping.

Our first attempt, limited by bad weather, was in February 2016. This year’s participants were all from ICECycles, a Christchurch group that encourages cycling by fixing bikes and giving them to people on low...

August 1, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

NZ Bike Expo 2017

12
Jul

NZ Bike Expo
CAN is organising our first bike expo in Christchurch, on the 28 & 29 October, at the Air Force Museum of NZ, Wigram.

The Bike Expo will bring together everything to do with the bicycle, in a vibrant and exciting consumer show. Visitors will have opportunities to trial bikes, meet top sports people, learn about new adventures on the Events Programme, and feature prizes and giveaways as well as showcasing a wonderful range of top bike and bike-related brands and retailers.

As a cycling advocacy group we’re very keen to get more people...

July 12, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

Superblocks create liveable neighbourhoods

8
Jul

Barcelona in Spain is a city that suffers air pollution, much of it from transport. Reducing dependence on cars for short trips is one way of tackling pollution, so on a visit there I looked at one of Barcelona's tactics in weaning short journeys off the car: Superblocks. Here are some photos from my visit to the Poblenou neighbourhood. 

Above: Called superilles or 'superislands' in Catalan, the concept is that up to nine contiguous blocks are joined together and traffic within these blocks is restricted, as this diagram shows.

 

Above: The entrance to the...

July 8, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

How to prevent your bike from being stolen

27
Jun

How to prevent your bike from being stolen

Even a basic bicycle for travelling between work and home can be expensive, so it's no surprise that bikes are a popular target for thieves.

According to Cyclist UK, there were around 327,000 bike theft incidents reported in England and Wales between April 2015 and March 2016. Make no mistake; bike theft is a big business.

So what are the best ways to help prevent yours from being stolen? Whether it's at home or away, this guide should...

June 27, 2017 Patrick READ MORE

NZ at the World Cycling Alliance

27
Jun

New Zealand was represented by advocacy body Cycling Action Network at a recent global meeting aimed at promoting cycling to advance the UN's Global Development Goals

Shipra Narang Suri of the UN told the Conference that the world is at an inflection point in development of cities. A majority of the world’s population now lives in built-up areas, so the UN sees that many cities are learning key lessons: Liveability and choice in transport are critical so that cities can function properly and give their citizens a better quality of life. Only carefully, meaningfully planned urbanisation can...

June 27, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

10 tips for cycling advocacy from VeloCity global conference (You won’t believe no. 8!)

26
Jun

Each year there's a global get-together for those interested in the promotion of cycling

Transportation experts, mayors, town councillors, advocates for liveable cities, roading engineers, documentary film-makers and of course cycling enthusiasts are among the delegates.

The European Cycling Federation, the peak body for cycling advocacy in Europe, organises the event, VéloCity, and this year it was held in Nijmegen, Holland, a town heralded as ‘the home of cycling’.

This year was the biggest ever, with more than 1,500 delegates, over 260 speakers, 107 sessions in two...

June 26, 2017 Will Andrews READ MORE

Ambitious road safety goal welcomed by cycling advocates

21
Jun

Ambitious road safety goal welcomed by cycling advocates

 

Cycling advocates have welcomed a decision by Hamilton City Council to set an ambitious goal for road safety.

"We congratulate Hamilton City Council on adopting a goal of zero deaths from traffic crashes within 10 years,” said Claire Sherrington, Deputy Chair of Cycling Action Network.

The Council has said it is no longer acceptable to have deaths on city streets.”

We think this is a first for New Zealand.”

Until 20 June, the Council's goal was to reduce road deaths over the next...

June 21, 2017 Patrick READ MORE