Chainlinks April 2020

Submitted by Patrick on 17 April, 2020 - 11:40

Chainlinks

April 2020

We're stronger together

Here at CAN we are united by our love of riding bicycles. I am honoured to lead CAN, along with my Board members Geoff, Dea, Steve and Richard. Together we're dedicated to making New Zealand better, whether you ride a bike or not.

About me
Like many children today, I started riding a bike as a pre-schooler. It was in the 1980s on the flat streets of Invercargill. Only in hindsight did I realise just how cycle-centric my family was. We biked everywhere, to church on Sunday, to hockey on Saturday, and to swimming on Friday. After confirming with my parents that we did actually own a car, it turns out that we rode everywhere for much the same reasons as I still ride today - health, cost, and convenience. For me, my overwhelming memory is the sense of independence that riding a bike brings - and it has affected the core of my values from childhood to the present day.

Our mission
We make the case to our government and councils for investing in cycling. We speak up in the media when cycling is in the news. We campaign for better laws, fair enforcement, effective education, and above all, for safe and attractive streets, paths and trails.

Life after L4 lockdown
While no one thinks that a lockdown is good news, there are some upsides. Our air is cleaner, our cities are quieter, and our local rides are largely traffic-free. We can all see the benefits of reducing dependence on motor vehicles. Let's hold on to that vision.

We're all better off when more people ride bikes, more often.

Jon Dean
Chair, Cycling Action Network

About Cycling Action Network

CAN is New Zealand's national network of cycling advocates. We work with government, councils, businesses and the community on behalf of cyclists, for a better cycling environment. can.org.nz

Greetings Patrick and thanks for supporting Cycling Action Network.

Make sure all your friends and family have joined up, and if you want to get involved, please do volunteer!

Get social with CAN

Social media is an important tool for cycling advocates. It helps us make a compelling case for change. We use it to tell our stories. It helps us connect with our members and grow support.

Follow CAN and join the conversation.

Twitter: @CyclingActionNZ and @patrickmorgan
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CyclingActionNetwork
Instagram: @cyclingactionnetwork

Fed up with close passes? Have your say today.

Don't you hate it when someone drives too close to you? It's scary and dangerous.
CAN has been campaigning for a safe passing law for years, says Patrick Morgan, CAN Project Manager. We need to protect people on bikes.
A safe passing rule was recommended by the NZ Cycle Safety Panel back in 2014. Safe passing rules are common in Europe, the US, and most Australian states. They also protect people on foot, law enforcement and road workers.
Why are we waiting?
Good news: the Government is now proposing a safe passing rule, as part of the Accessible Streets package. We will have to show our support. Please have your say today. Submissions close on 20 May. Here's our submission guide, and here's NZTA's online form where you can have your say.
We are stronger together. Your action will make a difference.

Cut traffic speeds to reduce pressure on hospitals

It’s time to lower traffic speeds to reduce crashes and free up hospital beds, say cycling advocates.
"This will reduce harm and ease the burden on our health workers and emergency services," says Patrick Morgan from Cycling Action Network. "Sadly, traffic crashes are a leading cause of hospitalisation in New Zealand."
"We're calling on the Government to take action now to save lives."

Although there's much less traffic, some travel far too fast.

For more, see our news release here.

Join our Zoom Meeting tonight
Here's the recording of the presemtation.

On Sunday, Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter announced funding for the Innovating Streets programme, to build wider footpaths, pop-up bike lanes, and to improve public spaces..
Join Claire Pascoe (NZ Transport Agency urban mobility manager) for a 60 minute Zoom call at 9pm, 16 April.
Agenda: 15 minutes for welcome, hellos, catch ups and Zoom etiquette.
15 minutes presentation from Claire Pascoe:
- Intro to tactical urbanism
- How the NZ programme works
- Why now?
- Case studies
Then 20 minutes Q and A, discussion.

CAN Do 2020 report

Our annual gathering, the CAN Do, was held in the Cambridge Avantidrome on leap day. Miriam Sharland reports:

Approximately 30 people headed to Cambridge for the CAN Do 2020 conference.
Here a little bit about on what’s happening around NZ. Some key points:

Christchurch – getting women in skirts on bikes is great for presentations! They introduced a bike passport with local businesses – cyclists get a stamp for every business they visit. Most of the businesses have signed up again this year
Hawke’s Bay – now has 76km of off-road bike lanes but have had 2 on-road deaths this year
Kapiti – e-bike use is rocketing, with their older demographic; after being told by council they couldn’t widen the shoulder on the new road, the group went directly to Fletchers road builders who just went ahead and widened it.
Tauranga – A Bike Tauranga member has been elected to council. Check that your council has a risk register – it’s a useful tool for negotiations.
Wellington – e-bike sales doubling annually. Rebicycle just gave away its 1000^th bike. They have a Bike Kitchen and Bikespace, funded by WCC.
Waikato – working with HCC on a new development of 20,000 people which will promote active transport. Ungap the Map project to create connections between bike routes.
Hutt – New path along river and valley almost complete.

At the Cycling Action Network (CAN) AGM some new board members were elected. Patrick Morgan called for more diversity on the board and asks particularly for women to get in touch if they are interested. CAN is struggling financially. Please send any fundraising ideas to patrick@can.org.nz. Ask your organisation if they will do payroll giving.

Speakers:

Mark Bunting: cycling-mad local councillor on his work with Hamilton City Council

Patrick Morgan, CAN Project Manager:

“Sell the cake not the ingredients”. Don’t talk about bike lanes, but about a cleaner, more efficient, more pleasant city.
Meet candidates before they’re elected – it helps with the relationships afterwards.
570 people came on the Brent Norriss memorial ride; 3 MPs attended. Patrick had a meeting with NZTA and is awaiting a response about the dangerous intersection where Brent was killed while riding his bike on 3 February.

Melissa Clarke – Transport Manager, Hamilton City Council: reported on the new cycling infrastructure on Claudelands Bridge.

Waipa District Council Transport Manager: Safe Ways to School programme piloted in Cambridge Primary School has led to safety improvements in infrastructure; they have proposed a Dutch roundabout in Cambridge.

Russell Jones, cycling journalist – an entertaining account of his life as a cycling journalist, interviewing some of the legends of road cycling.

Huge thanks to Claire Sherrington and her team for hosting us.

KEEP INFORMED

If someone passed this on to you and you would like to receive it directly, all you need to do is email us, or call us and tell us your details.

If you received this update and do not want to receive them in future, you can unsubscribe from these types of mailings, or you can opt-out from all future emails from us.

Cycling Action Network of New Zealand (CAN)

Cycling Action Network of New Zealand (CAN)
PO Box 25-424
Wellington 6146
New Zealand