Following the recent local body elections, it hasn’t taken long for the new Christchurch City Council to get stuck into their business. A first Council meeting is happening this Thursday 31st Oct, and already there are some interesting developments …
Category: Bicycle politics
Anything about politics, politicians, submissions etc.
What the recent elections told us about support for cycling in Chch
So the local body elections are over for another 3 years. In Christchurch, that has seen six new City Councillors, plus the return of the remaining ten incumbent Councillors and Mayor Dalziel.
So what does that mean in terms …
Elections: Why are Cycleways always the Easy Beat?
It’s local election time! Chances are you have your voting papers by now and are pondering which boxes to tick. Simon Barnard has provided a useful summary of some of the punters who have put their hand up. I also …
Council Rates and MCR’s 101
With the local elections the issue of rates has been raised. What raises or lowers rates? What impact have the Major Cycle Routes(MCR’s) had on rates. Councillors Mike Davidson and Vicki Buck have offered some information.
Mike Davidson FB post …
Flashback Friday: Should we have cycle helmet legislation? NOT the same question as “should we wear helmets”!
Like Voldemort, cycle helmets in New Zealand are almost a topic you dare not speak by name, unless you want to see some fireworks in social media and a lot of energy expended for relatively little gain it seems. We’ve …
Flashback Friday: Cycling in the News
Here at Cycling in Christchurch we like to keep you up to date on the latest topical happenings cycle-wise around our city (please let us know if you have some interesting gossip we have missed!). Sometimes we do that by …
Local Government – Muddling through Democracy
Long experience observing and making submissions in Christchurch finds that all is not well.
All levels of government play their part in mediating class warfare. At the local level issues can get personal; people can feel rightfully aggrieved and often …
Flashback Friday: Advocating for Cycling
“Simon Barnard” has been a regular contributor to Cycling in Chch since the beginning, providing a lot of useful commentary on cycle advocacy issues in our city. Local cycling advocates Spokes Canterbury have their own website and Facebook …
Guest Post: Community Board keen to cut Harewood Road cycleway
Out to the northwest, Simon Britten has noticed a worrying development:
The planned Wheels to Wings cycleway isn’t a priority for the Waimāero/Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board. Speaking to Council last week in support of the Board’s Annual Plan submission, Chairman Sam …
Community Board makes walking and cycling harder
Some may recall that a Council ‘professional traffic planner’ decided the best way to deal with congestion at the corner of Memorial and Greers was to get rid of the cycle lane and narrow the footpath to make more room …
Christchurch Annual Plan – the Numbers don’t match the Intent or the Need
Submissions due 1 April – link below
It is truly great that Council is committed to speeding up delivery of the Major Cycle Routes, MCR’s. Be sure to let Council know you support the MCR’s. A careful look at the …
Draft Annual Plan brings more cycleways forward
Councils have Long Term Plans that they develop every 3 years. But every year, each Council reviews its budget and makes a few adjustments as new circumstances arise. And so it is that Christchurch City Council is currently consulting on …
Memorial/Greers Cycle lane to be Removed
The corner of Memorial Ave and Greers Road is to be made more ‘efficient’. The Orbiter and motorists are inconvenienced by people on bikes and all those kids going to school on foot. The solution? Remove the Greers Rd cycle …
Can e-scooters and bikes co-exist?
In case you have been living under a rock lately, it’s been two months now since Lime e-scooters turned up on Christchurch (and Auckland) streets. Judging by the volume of alarmist news articles and letters to the editor, you’d think …
Guest Post: Christchurch Will Never Be Amsterdam
Regular contributor Robert reflects on his recent overseas travels and more local happenings:
This week I rode along to City Council Chambers to present a 5-minute oral submission to the hearings panel concerning lowering of some central Christchurch speed limits …
National Land Transport Programme has a bumper crop of cycleways
Every three years, the NZ Transport Agency prepares a National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) that summarises what is going to be spent by the Government and local councils on roads, pathways, public transport, etc. 2018 was the year for a …
Council, CDHB & Otakaro Undermine Safety or how to disadvantage everyone, waste millions and ignore the public’s best interests
For people on bikes getting to and through the central city remains challenging. There is the major north/south cycle route up Antigua Street. Tuam and St Asaph offered as compromised east/west routes connecting to the west via Oxford Tce and …
Stay wider of the rider – sign the petition
We’ve discussed in the past the potential for a rule specifying a minimum space for motorists when passing a bike rider (and all the myths surrounding such a law…). Now it looks more likely that the new Government may …
Council Long Term Plan brings some good cycleway news
Last Friday saw the Christchurch City Council have their final deliberations about the Long Term Plan (LTP), which sets in place how much CCC will spend on various activities over the next ten years. As mentioned earlier, there was …
Cycle-friendly places vs People-friendly ones
You may have seen the new Cathedral Square concept plans released last week by Regenerate Christchurch. They have certainly generated lots of comment (positive and negative), and you might argue about the architectural merit of some of the development ideas. …