Contents:
- Call for real cycle lanes on all key commuter routes
- Plan aims for more cycle-friendly Christchurch
- Bike racks on buses coming to Hawke's Bay
- Compulsory cycling proficiency for driving licenses?
- How Sydney got non-cyclists on two wheels
- Copenhagen's compelling case for bike superhighways
- Greece debt crisis spurs surge in bicycle use over cars
- Weblinks
Call for real cycle lanes on all key commuter routes
26 July 2012- Councils need to build real cycle lanes on key commuter routes, says a doctor's lobby group.
In late 2010, British nurse Jane Bishop was cycling home from work between slow moving traffic and parked cars on Auckland's Tamaki Drive when she collided with the open door of a car.
The 27-year-old British nurse fell under a slow-moving truck and died at the scene.
An inquest into the cause of her death was held at the Auckland District Court yesterday.
Dr Alex Macmillan said members of OraTaiao - a group of medical professionals concerned about climate change impacts on health - are calling on councils to act, regardless of what the coroner finds.
Dr Macmillan said Ms Bishop's inquest highlighted dangerous infrastructure in cities across the country.
"Jane Bishop's tragic death was not an accident brought on by unfortunate circumstances, as argued at the hearing. Nor was it confined to a case of personal error, as was also argued. Her death was preventable, like all the deaths being investigated in this inquiry."
She said significant investment in safe road design and cycle facilities was needed now.
Read more here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10822430
Plan aims for more cycle-friendly Christchurch
13 July 2012- Plans to make Christchurch more like Amsterdam have taken a step forward with the release of the city council's 30-year vision for the transport network.
The draft Christchurch transport plan maps out how the council plans to keep Christchurch moving over the next three decades and emphasises making the city more cycle-friendly.
It was approved for public release by the council yesterday at a meeting in which Cr Peter Beck said that he hoped it would lead to Christchurch becoming more like Amsterdam, which is renowned for cycling.
Mayor Bob Parker said there was a unique opportunity to develop a safe, connected cycle network that would make it easier for people to cycle, and to address the great ideas that had come through the central-city plan and the suburban centres master plans.
Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7271399/Plan-aims-for-more-cycle-friendly-Chch
Bike racks on buses coming to Hawke's Bay
4 August 2012- Cyclists will soon no longer have to bike home in the rain - they will be able to sit warm and dry on a bus while their bike travels with them.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council and New Zealand Transport Agency's bikes on buses initiative, to be launched later this month, will cost almost $50,000.
Bus company Go Bus will attach racks, costing $3200 each and capable of holding two bikes, to the front of 14 buses.
Read more here:
http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/buses-to-rescue-of-hawkes-bay-cyclists/1492729/
Compulsory cycling proficiency for driving licenses?
6 August 2012- Why not make cycle proficiency a mandatory condition for getting a driving licence?
Every driver should have firsthand experience of what it's like to ride a bike in the traffic. Any driver wanting to acquire an HGV licence has to get a normal driving licence first. And people wanting to take a car on the road should have the experience of cycling alongside cars and other vehicles. Drivers need to know how smaller vehicles and their more vulnerable users behave on the road, and the only real way to understand how cyclists act is to have a go at being one. Providing safety training to more cyclists on the streets is obviously desirable, but mandatory cycle training and licensing, often suggested by the more irate and vocal petrolhead crowd, would be a disaster and create a barrier to cycling take-up.
Read more here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/aug/06/cycling-lessons-driving-licence
How Sydney got non-cyclists on two wheels
28 June 2012- An initiative to improve facilities and reduce fear of traffic has led to rapid growth in cycling in Sydney, with numbers up by 82% in two years.
Read more here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jun/28/sydney-noncyclists-bikes
Copenhagen's compelling case for bike superhighways
25 July 2012- It's no secret that Copenhagen is widely regarded as a cyclist's utopia. Half of Copenhagen residents commute to school or work by bike, and the city has long shown commitment to improving its bike infrastructure, making cycling an attractive, efficient option for nearly all residents.
In April, Copenhagen opened its first "cycle superhighway", the first of 26 routes it hopes will encourage commuters to travel to and from the city by bike. Though the existing network of bike paths in Copenhagen is well-maintained, the condition of routes connecting outlying municipalities is inconsistent, making cycling a less viable option for suburban commuters.
Read more here:
http://crosscut.com/2012/07/25/urban/109726/copenhagen-model-city-today/
Greece debt crisis spurs surge in bicycle use over cars
8 August 2012- Greece's dire economic plight has put cash-strapped Greeks on their bikes - once snubbed as a sign of poverty or just plain risky - and Greek manufacturers are shifting into fast gear.
The high cost of road tax, fuel and repairs is forcing Greeks to ditch their cars in huge numbers. According to the government's statistics office, the number of cars on Greek roads declined by more than 40 percent in each of the last two years. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 bikes were sold in 2011, up about a quarter from the previous year.
Shops selling bicycles, and equipment ranging from helmets to knee pads, are spreading fast across the capital.
Read more here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/08/greece-debt-crisis-bikes-cars_n_1755225.html
Weblinks
The Friendly Cyclist: a series of video clips on how to be safe when bicycling in Wellington City, starring the voice of Stephen Fry:
http://thefriendlycyclist.co.nz/
Cyclopolitan: what is a cyclopolitan? find out here:
Crash analysis briefing notes: summaries of crashes now available online from NZTA
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/crash-analysis-reports/briefing-notes.html
Bicycle Studies: picking up speed in academia:
http://www.psmag.com/education/bicycle-studies-pick-up-speed-in-academia-43660/
Pedal power in pictures: 49 striking images of bicycles from around the world:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/06/pedal_power.html
Bicicloteca: a cycle-powered mobile library in Brazil:
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/08/21/brazil-bicycle-brings-books-to-the-homeless/
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