e.CAN 174 - The email bulletin of Cycling Advocates' Network, NZ

e.CAN

Contents:
- Cycling advocates welcome national cycleway
- Greens join cycleway project
- NZ Cycling Conference 2009: call for presentations
- Bridge forbids activists' protest crossing plan
- Dunedin walking and cycling strategy fast-tracked
- Road Safety Strategy under revision
- Road safety innovation and achievement awards
- UK cuts speed limits to save lives
- Korean president goes bike to basics
- CO2 policies need to include cycling, says research
- Urban design turning kids off being active
- Colorado drivers to steer clear of cyclists or get fined
- Study claims bicycle helmet laws could do more harm than good
- 'Safety in numbers' effect strikes again
- Italian government spurs bike sales with incentives
- Weblinks

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CYCLING ADVOCATES WELCOME NATIONAL CYCLEWAY

15 May 2009- The Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) welcomes the Government's decision to allocate $50 million over three years to start the New Zealand Cycleway Project.

CAN spokesperson Stephen McKernon says, "The funding is an important start to the Project. It will contribute directly to international and domestic tourism and will provide great recreational rides for New Zealand's 1.3 million cyclists. Local businesses will benefit immediately and directly, as the evidence from the Otago Central Rail Trail shows. Everyone wins.

"There are also benefits for local communities as the Cycleway will stimulate additional investment in local infrastructure, jobs and community facilities. A stronger network will also encourage people to cycle more often for other reasons, such as travelling to work, and this exercise will help improve people's health. As an investment, it offers great value for money with a range of immediate and longer term returns, and is a great step forward during recession times."

CAN has been helping the National Cycleway Advisory Group develop the idea of a Cycleway in more detail and assess existing and potential routes. It will be closely involved with the Project as it continues to develop.

For media stories and links, go to:

http://can.org.nz/50-million-for-nz-cycleway

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GREENS JOIN CYCLEWAY PROJECT

19 May 2009- Prime Minister John Key is welcoming the Green Party's agreement to work with National on the New Zealand Cycleway Project.

The cycleway has been added to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the policy initiatives both parties have agreed to collaborate on.

"When we first signed the MOU with the Green Party in April, I said there would be other important policy areas where we had common ground, and the cycleway certainly fits the criteria."

The MOU now covers four common areas; home insulation, energy efficiency, the regulation of natural health products, and the cycleway.

John Key, as Minister of Tourism, will now work together with the Green Party's spokesperson on Tourism, Sport and Recreation, and Cycling and Active Transport, Kevin Hague, on the development of the cycleway project.

"While the Greens and National will always have policy differences, it is increasingly clear that in an MMP environment this should never stand in the way of working together when we share the same policy objectives.

"I look forward to the valuable input the Greens will have into this project."

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NZ CYCLING CONFERENCE 2009: CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

The 7th New Zealand Cycling Conference will be held on 12-13 November 2009 in New Plymouth. The 2009 conference theme is "Communities, connections and the economy". Now, more than ever, cycling has the potential to play a key part in the economic development of New Zealand. The 7th NZ Cycling Conference aims to bring together a wide range of people who share this vision and can make it happen.

Presentations are now being called for from sector professionals, policy makers, advocates, elected representatives, researchers and other interested people. Abstracts (300 word maximum) should be submitted using the electronic submission form available on the conference website.

Abstracts must be received by Friday 5 June 2009. For more information on the call for presentations, go to:

http://can.org.nz/article/nz-cycling-conf-2009-call-for-presentations

and for more general information on the conference, visit the conference website:

http://can.org.nz/conference/2009

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BRIDGE FORBIDS ACTIVISTS' PROTEST CROSSING PLAN

27 April 2009- Walking and cycling campaigners are preparing their own 50th birthday bash for the Auckland Harbour Bridge next month - a protest crossing the weekend before the official anniversary.

"It's time to get our marching boots ready," says the Getacross Campaign on a website (http://www.getacross.org.nz) which has registered about 10,300 supporters.

The campaigners plan to march or pedal north across the bridge from 9.30am on Sunday, May 24.

They say the event will be a protest, rather than a celebration of the bridge's 50 years, given the barrier they believe it represents for Aucklanders wanting to reduce dependency on cars.

"But rather than commiserate half a century of denied access, we invite Aucklanders to attend the demonstration march and show their support for walking and cycling on the bridge," said Andy Smith of Walk Auckland.

Read the full story here:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10568849

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DUNEDIN WALKING AND CYCLING STRATEGY FAST-TRACKED

12 May 2009- Dunedin city councillors have voted to fast-track progress towards the completion of walking and cycling strategies for the city.

The decision came early in yesterday's annual plan deliberations, after several councillors spoke about the need for a more "radical" approach to promoting cycling initiatives.

Councillors had earlier heard that work by council staff on cycling, transportation and pedestrian strategies was continuing, and expected to be completed by June next year.

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ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY UNDER REVISION

The Government is renewing the national road safety strategy, replacing the 2010 strategy with one that will operate until 2020. The Ministry of Transport is holding initial consultation meetings with stakeholders before issuing a discussion document for public comment. CAN, along with BikeNZ, met with MoT officials on 13 May to highlight key safety issues affecting cyclists.

The timetable from here is:
- late July/early August 2009 - discussion document released for public comment
- December 2009 - strategy finalised and released

CAN groups and members will be invited to submit on the discussion document. A future issue of e.CAN will provide a link to suggestions for submissions.

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ROAD SAFETY INNOVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Nominations for these awards are now open. There are five categories this year:

- education
- community
- organisations
- vehicle-based
- engineering

The awards are funded by the NZ Transport Agency, and the winner of each category gets a cash prize of $2,500. Entries must be received by 5 pm, 8 July 2009.

For more information and an entry form, visit:

http://www.roadsafetyinnovationawards.org.nz/

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UK CUTS SPEED LIMITS TO SAVE LIVES

21 April 2009- The speed limit on many A-roads in the UK will be reduced to 50 mph (80 km/h) under plans aimed at cutting the number of road deaths by a third.

Drivers also face limits of 20 mph (32 km/h) in residential zones, random breath tests and tougher fixed penalties for offences such as passing too close to a cyclist.

The proposals for ten-year safety targets are to be published today. It will be the first time that the Government has set a specific target for cutting road deaths - by at least 1,000 from the current 3,000 a year.

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KOREAN PRESIDENT GOES BIKE TO BASICS

21 April 2009- Riding a bicycle has become a national agenda so crucial that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak devoted whole of a regular policy address to trumpeting it as part of a "green revolution" yesterday.

"Bicycles are the partner of green growth. Reinstating the bike, which is free from carbon emissions, as a main transport means is the path we have to take," Lee said in his fortnightly radio talk.

Lee has championed "low-carbon, green growth" as a national vision to promote economic advancement and tackle environmental challenges.

Biking is a key component of the plans, along with increased use of renewable energies, investment in eco-friendly technologies and building homes and offices that consume less energy.

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CO2 POLICIES NEED TO INCLUDE CYCLING, SAYS RESEARCH

23 April 2009- Government must do much more than promote electric cars if it wants rapid and deep cuts in transport emissions, and must consider playing a role in helping drivers leave their cars at home, according to a new study by the U.K. Energy Research Centre (UKERC).

The report reviewed over 500 international studies and found that Britain lags behind the leading countries in use of cleaner modes of travel. Policies could have a large impact through reducing the need to travel and promoting walking, cycling, public transport and efficient driving, as well as encouraging low-carbon cars, the report said. In combination, policies to reduce car use could accelerate and reduce the cost of CO2 emission reduction, as well as relieving congestion and improving quality of life.

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URBAN DESIGN TURNING KIDS OFF BEING ACTIVE

13 April 2009- Poor urban design and safety fears are critical factors in determining whether children walk or cycle to school, say Australian researchers.

They say their findings can help inform public policy that will increase children travelling to school by foot or bicycle.

In the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Dr Clare Hume and colleagues report the proportion of Australian school children walking to school dropped from 37% in 1985 to 26% in 2001.

At the same time the proportion of children cycling to school is now so low it is statistically too insignificant to be considered on its own, says Hume, of Deakin University's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research.

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COLORADO DRIVERS TO STEER CLEAR OF CYCLISTS OR GET FINED

Cyclists in Colorado will be given more protection from car users from August 5th. The Bicycle Safety Bill, signed this week, has been created by the state to safeguard cyclists with a wide range of measures.

Drivers will be required by law to give cyclists three feet of space when passing, or risk being given a US$110 fine.

Other measures included in the law will formally give cyclists the right to ride side-by-side, unless they're impeding the 'normal and reasonable movement of traffic'. Cyclists will be required to ride as close to the pavement as is safe to do so.

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STUDY CLAIMS BICYCLE HELMET LAWS COULD DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD

27 April 2009- Mandatory bicycle helmet laws could do more harm than good, a new study claims.

Helmet laws like those in effect in Australia levy a substantial cost on healthcare systems because savings from fewer head injuries pale in comparison to the costs incurred by decreases in cycling, a mathematical model concludes.

Piet de Jong, a mathematician at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, estimates that bicycle helmet laws would cost the US $4.8 billion per year, Netherlands $1.9 billion, and the U.K $0.4 billion.

However, one critic contends that de Jong's methods overestimate the health benefits of cycling, as well as the drop in cyclists caused by helmet laws.

"There's a lot of uncertainty around it," de Jong admits. "I try to reconcile all these various numbers or proportions that impinge on the question of whether helmet laws are very useful."

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'SAFETY IN NUMBERS' EFFECT STRIKES AGAIN

7 May 2009- A study of the most and least safe places to cycle in Britain, released today, shows that where there are more riders on the roads there is generally a lower accident rate, while in areas less popular for bikes, cycling can be notably more risky.

Contradicting the notion that a mass of inexperienced riders taking to the streets brings a spike in injuries and deaths, the research by the Cyclists Touring Club (CTC), the UK's main cycling organisation, rates local authority areas in England on a scale of A to E according to how safe they are.

The trend is clear, with areas popular for cyclists tending to be safer on average, with the differences sometimes significant.

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ITALIAN GOVERNMENT SPURS BIKE SALES WITH INCENTIVES

28 April 2009- For the first time in Europe a government started handing out direct incentives for the purchase of a bicycle or e-Bike. Last week on April 22, the Italian government by means of its Ministry for the Environment started an incentive scheme which contributes to a maximum of 30% of the retail price of a bicycle or e-Bike. The maximum amount is 700 Euro which is for a bike that retails for 2,330 Euro. This is on average the retail price of a high-end electric bicycle.

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WEBLINKS

- World's thinnest cycle lane? Following the world's shortest one in last e.CAN, now we have a contender for the thinnest, right here in NZ:

http://aucklandcyclechic.blogspot.com/2009/04/adaptability.html

- Inspired bicycles: this sort of thing really ought to be impossible. Do not try it at home:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

- Cyclist Skills Training newsletter: read the latest on upskilling our cyclists here:

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/road-user-safety/walking-and-cycling/cyclist-skills-training/docs/issue-3.pdf

- The Golden Foot: info and entry forms for the NZ national walking awards are now available:

http://www.livingstreets.org.nz/walking_awards.htm

- Ride of Silence: the next international Ride of Silence to honour fallen cyclists is on 20 May:

http://www.rideofsilence.org/

- Veer: this new film offers 'an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at bicycling culture':

http://www.veerthemovie.com/

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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.

To find out more about CAN, go to our website, http://www.can.org.nz.

ABOUT e.CAN

e.CAN is distributed approximately every 1-2 weeks to CAN members and other interested people. CAN members also get our bi-monthly magazine, ChainLinks.

To check back issues of e.CAN, go to http://www.can.org.nz/ecan .

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