e.CAN 163 - The email bulletin of Cycling Advocates' Network, NZ

e.CAN 163

-The email bulletin of Cycling Advocates' Network, NZ-

Contents:
- Cyclist fatalities show need for better infrastructure and motorist behaviour
- Did you Getacross yet?
- Cycling advocates welcome release of third party insurance discussion paper
- One in four Wellington cyclists dangerously under-lit
- Road Safety Innovation and Achievement Awards now open
- Australian cyclists saving Govt $200m in health costs
- Getting Australia Moving
- Germany to double bicycle traffic by 2012
- Cycling in London continues to rise
- Bristol to be Britain's first cycling city
- UK may legalise wrong-way cycling
- Kiwis raise funds for medical research
- Weblinks

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CYCLIST FATALITIES SHOW NEED FOR BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOTORIST
BEHAVIOUR

19 June 2008- After two cyclists were killed today, the national
organisation for everyday cyclists is calling for urgent improvements in
roading design and motorist behaviour.

Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) chairperson Robert Ibell said tonight
that the deaths of two cyclists in the Wellington region show that
central and local government are not moving fast enough to make roads
safer for cycling.

A car door carelessly opened into the path of a 61 year old cyclist in
Upper Hutt caused his death this morning when he was thrown into the
path of a car.

And NZ Police superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, riding northbound from
Wellington, was killed tonight on the Petone off-ramp.

"Neither of these tragic deaths should have happened," says Mr Ibell.
"In the case of the Petone crash, continuing procrastination by Transit
and buck-passing by several other authorities in the Wellington region
have meant that the Ngauranga to Petone cycle track is still incomplete."

"Local cyclists have been asking for at least 14 years for something to
be done on this route ."

"This is one of the region's busiest and most important cycling routes,
yet cyclists have no choice but to share the road space with high speed
motor vehicles." says Mr Ibell.

The death of the cyclist outside St Patrick's College in Upper Hutt
shows the need for a publicity campaign.

"Urgent changes to driver licensing and driver education are needed to
make drivers more aware of how to take care around cyclists", says Mr Ibell.

"How many fatalities will it take before something is finally done? We
need action on cyclist safety now."

For a video of the memorial bike ride held in Wellington on 26 June to
commemorate the two fallen riders, see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utb7HtCLmRk

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DID YOU GETACROSS YET?

26 June 2008- Getacross, the campaign for a cycling and walking link
across the Auckland Harbour Bridge, recently made a very positive
presentation to the Transit NZ board in Wellington, and has gathered
over 8800 signatures in support.

Despite the success to date, the project is still a 'proposal under
discussion' and numbers will count. If you haven't yet signed the
petition, and would like to show your support, you can sign it online now:

http://www.getacross.org.nz/

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CYCLING ADVOCATES WELCOME RELEASE OF THIRD PARTY INSURANCE DISCUSSION PAPER

18 June 2008- The Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) welcomes the release
of a discussion document proposing compulsory third party insurance for
all motorists. The document was released today by Minister of Transport
Safety Harry Duynhoven. CAN policy includes support for the introduction
of compulsory third party insurance.

CAN spokesperson Axel Wilke says, 'CAN believes we should have
compulsory third party insurance to provide for property damage. We also
believe the ACC motor vehicle account funding should be restructured so
the flat levy is replaced by a levy based on driver characteristics
(e.g. age and driving record). This means a much clearer relationship
between higher risk motorists and the costs of motoring'.

CAN’s policy on compulsory third party insurance can be found at
http://can.org.nz/policy/.

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ONE IN FOUR WELLINGTON CYCLISTS DANGEROUSLY UNDER-LIT

17 June 2008- The winter months are well and truly here, and many
cyclists are commuting to and from work in the dark. Unfortunately not
all cyclists are using adequate lighting and reflective gear- placing
themselves and other road users in danger.

Over the past three weeks, Council road safety officers and Police have
been stopping cyclists throughout the city to discuss visibility issues
and enforce Road Code requirements. They stopped more than 400 cyclists
and found one in four were riding dangerously under-lit bicycles.

The Council's Urban Development and Transport Portfolio Leader,
Councillor Andy Foster, says the results of the exercise are worrying.

"In spite of the obvious risks, cyclists are still putting themselves in
danger by riding without lights. Cyclists should value their own safety
and that of others. One in four of those stopped by Police were riding
poorly lit bicycles, making it very difficult for them to be seen by
drivers."

"It's just plain common sense for every cyclist to 'light up and be
seen' during the gloomy days and dark nights of our Wellington winter.
Clearly not all cyclists have got the message and our road safety
officers and Police will be continuing with their enforcement efforts
over the coming weeks. To help people be safe and seen we are offering
vouchers with a 20 percent discount on cycle lights and reflective gear."

If you are in Wellington, need a bike light, and would like a voucher
offering a 20% discount on lights and reflective gear, please call the
Council on 499 4444.

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ROAD SAFETY INNOVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS NOW OPEN

The Road Safety Trust Road Safety Innovation and Achievement Awards
recognise road safety innovations initiated by individuals,
organisations and communities.

Entries are now open for the '07/08 Awards, with a ceremony to be held
in Wellington during September 2008.

There are five categories, with an overall Premier Award for the best of
the best.

- Road safety education
- Road safety community
- Road safety vehicle-based
- Road safety organisations
- Road safety road engineering

Entries close on 4 August. For more information and an entry form, go to:

http://www.roadsafety.govt.nz/roadsafetyinnovationawards/

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AUSTRALIAN CYCLISTS SAVING GOVT $200M IN HEALTH COSTS

4 June 2008- A new report has found the Federal Government is saving
more than $200 million a year in health costs through people riding
bicycles.

The report was commissioned by the Federal Health Department and is
aimed at encouraging state and territory governments to try to increase
the popularity of cycling.

One of the report's co-authors, associate professor Chris Rissel, says
the figure is a conservative estimate.

"Calculations like this always depend on what you include and don't
include," he said.

"While we're talking here about direct health costs it doesn't include
all the transport savings, and things like traffic congestion have been
known to cause billions of dollars of lost earnings and income."

[ABC News]

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GETTING AUSTRALIA MOVING

13 June 2008- A new report entitled 'Cycling: Getting Australia Moving'
was launched on 4th June, in conjunction with the presentation of the
National Bicycling Achievement Awards.

The Hon Peter Garrett AM, MP at the launch announced a grant of
AU$45,000 for the development of a national cycling training scheme to
encourage more people to choose two wheeled transport.

For more information, go to:

http://www.cyclingpromotion.com.au/content/view/329/9/

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GERMANY TO DOUBLE BICYCLE TRAFFIC BY 2012

30 May 2008- A German Transport Ministry plan calls for bicycles to make
up 20 percent of overall traffic by 2012, double the current rate.
While cycling advocates were skeptical that this goal will be met, the
Federal Ministry of Transport is "quite confident that it will happen,"
said spokeswoman Vera Moosmayer.

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CYCLING IN LONDON CONTINUES TO RISE

25 June 2008- With Bike Week underway, figures released today show that
there has been a 91 per cent increase in the number of people cycling on
London's major roads since Transport for London (TfL) was created in
2000. Overall, TfL estimates that there are now in excess of 500,000
cycle journeys made every day in the Capital.

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BRISTOL TO BE BRITAIN'S FIRST CYCLING CITY

19 June 2008- Bristol is to be Britain's first cycling city under a £94
million Government drive to encourage people to use their bikes and
tackle congestion.

It is one of a dozen towns and cities chosen by Ruth Kelly, the
Transport Secretary, to pioneer the project.

The Government funding is intended to encourage another 2.5 million
people to take up cycling as a way of improving fitness and easing
congestion.

Bristol will be the first city to get a bicycle rental scheme, similar
to the Velib system in Paris, where cyclists are able to rent bikes
stationed around the city using a special hire card.

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UK MAY LEGALISE WRONG-WAY CYCLING

4 June 2008- A traffic-dodging dash the wrong way up a one-way street
may be the tempting risk for many a frustrated cyclist. But it will no
longer be against the law under an experiment designed to encourage more
people to switch from four wheels to two.

The change- which will simply legitimise what many cyclists, including
David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, do already- will be
welcomed by thousands of law-abiding riders who have to take long
diversions around one-way systems.

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KIWIS RAISE FUNDS FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH

New Zealander Duncan Bayly, recently diagnosed with motor neurone
disease, has completed a bike ride from Amsterdam to London to raise
funds for motor neurone research. You can read about it and donate here:

http://www.rideformnd.com/

Meanwhile another Kiwi, David Bond, also living in Holland, had an
operation in 2007 to remove a brain tumor. To raise funds for the
Neurological Foundation of NZ, and a Dutch neurological charity, David
plans to compete in the Monaco Ironman in September. This includes a 90
km bike ride. You can read more about it and donate here:

http://bondy4brains.blogspot.com/

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WEBLINKS

- Cycling for Everyone: video of a presentation given by John Pucher on
promoting cycling- lessons from the European experience:

http://www.sfu.ca/city/city_pgm_video020.htm

- 17 reasons why bicycles are the most popular vehicles in the world today:

http://ecoworldly.com/2008/06/16/17-reasons-why-bicycles-are-the-most-popular-vehicle-in-the-world-today/

- Transport informatics: new informational approaches to transport, with
an interesting bit on cycling (scroll down):

http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2008/04/transport-infor.html

- Pedal-powered eco-cabs: these have hit Stockholm, having also been
seen in Toronto, Dublin and Berlin:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/pedal-powered-cabs-reach-stockholm.php

- Wooden bikes around the world:

http://www.kk.org/streetuse/archives/2008/05/wooden_bikes.php

- Save The Children Vietnam Challenge: a 13 day cycling and sightseeing
journey through Vietnam in November, to raise funds for Save the Children:

http://www.inspiredadventures.co.nz/scnz/

- BBBike: a route planner for cyclists in Berlin- something we could do
with here:

http://bbbike.radzeit.de/cgi-bin/bbbike.en.cgi

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ABOUT CAN

Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) is New Zealand's voice for cyclists. We
want to see cycling become an everyday activity in NZ. CAN's membership
includes experienced cyclists, advocates, engineers, planners, local and
regional councils, bike shops, and local advocacy groups throughout the
country.

e.CAN is distributed approximately every 1-2 weeks to CAN members and
other interested people. CAN members also get our bi-monthly magazine,
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http://www.can.org.nz. Or sign up to CAN online via credit card at
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--
Adrian Croucher
Secretary, Cycling Advocates Network (CAN)
PO Box 6491, Auckland
email: secretary@can.org.nz
CAN website: www.can.org.nz