Apparently in many people’s minds, biking is still something you can only do recreationally “for fun” (some people still tellingly refer to it only as a “sport” or “hobby”…). And as for doing something practical like shopping – …
Category: Cycle-centric ideas
Bright ideas about cycling
Has Cycling increased in Christchurch?
“Build it and they will come” – that’s what we’re regularly told about the magic of induced demand, especially for something like transport. It certainly seems to happen when we build additional roading capacity – what about when we …
Flashback Friday: Biking – Easier on the Body
Some recent heel niggles while out running have reminded me of how much easier it is when I can just hop on my bike and knock off a few kms that way instead. Similar thoughts were going through my head …
Flashback Friday – Separated Cycleways: Which Separators are Best?
Happy New Year! Another year, same old Flashback Friday. This time, let’s go back to something first posted in Oct 2013 when separated cycleways in Christchurch were quite the rarity. Now we have a considerable selection of separators around the …
Cycling in Chch 2020: The Power of a Bike…
It’s that time of the year when we reflect on what has been happening cycling-wise in Christchurch in past 12 months and also look ahead to the coming new year. If I had to pick a theme this past year, …
Flashback Friday: Cycling wishes for Christmas
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that Santa has got you something suitably bike-friendly… Speaking of what we want, I thought you might like to muse on this Christmas wishlist (originally posted in Dec 2017) and think about what we …
@Limebike e-Bikes now in Christchurch
Last month, we mentioned that Lime was bringing public share e-bikes to Christchurch. Three weeks that became a reality when Lime introduced them to the city with a little launch event (yes, I’ve been a bit remiss in getting this …
Better Consultation
As Submissions Convener for Spokes Canterbury for 12 years, now retired, I have some thoughts to share on how consultation might work better. The links are to Strong Towns which offers a rich source of articles on urban planning and …
Flashback Friday: Xmas Shopping by Bike
With the crazy season upon us once more (or does that just describe the entire year in 2020?!), it seems an appropriate time to remind you of the practical benefits of getting around on bike when traffic is at a …
Flashback Friday: Open Streets was a Blast!
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Back in Sep 2013, the central city was still slowly recovering from the 2010/11 quakes and only opening up bit by bit. To celebrate a bit more opening up of the centre, the Council held an “Open Streets” cyclovia; this …
Biketober 2020 in Review
Biketober has come and gone; we’ve even now shot right through November, and at last convenor Robert can catch his breath and reflect on this year’s activities:
The fourth annual Biketober Festival of Cycling held in Christchurch is over for …
Lime e-Bike share coming to Christchurch
After a couple of years without our fix of public share-bikes, there is some excitement with the news that Lime are complementing their e-scooter programme in Chch with a fleet of e-bikes for hire as well. The City Council has …
Flashback Friday: The spirituality of cycling
Some people often claim that biking seems like a religion to them (or to their other half, if they’re a a long-suffering partner of a biking fan…). So perhaps it wasn’t surprising that our own Steve Muir put that to …
Flashback Friday: Does your mother not let you ride on the road?
We’ve had various guest contributors over the years (my thanks to you all), and a few years back we had a few submissions from Anton Angelo, including this one below originally posted in Aug 2013. I remember the …
World Record for Bike Blended Smoothies?
During lockdown I had some time spare in the evenings so got to work making some new bike blenders, where you pedal a stationary bike to make a delicious fruit smoothie. There are three of my older bike blenders made …
Flashback Friday: What if… We built a cycle-friendly Christchurch?
Back in my former life at Canterbury University, I got asked to take part in a regular series of UC public seminars. The focus of my talk was on how we could rebuild the city to be more cycle-friendly, remembering …
Flashback Friday – Guest Post: Impressions from a “tourist”
Seven years ago when I was still working at university, we were fortunate to be visited by a colleague and cycling expert from the UK, Prof John Parkin (I was very pleased to be able to return the favour when …
Flashback Friday: Bike Share Plan coming to Chch
In a relatively short few years, Christchurch went from having no public bike hire scheme, to a very useful pilot one for a few years and now back to nothing (meanwhile e-scooters have taken over the world apparently…). This article, …
Flashback Friday – Handy Tips: Playing Nice with Trucks and Buses
Large vehicles like trucks and buses continue to cause serious problems for people biking, so it’s important to respect them on the road. This article, originally from Aug 2013, gives some advice on how best to interact near heavy …
Welcome to Biketober 2020!
September is over, so it must be… Biketober! Yep, once again Christchurch ignores the traditional calendar and celebrates a month (and more) of cycling events for everyone.
If you want to know what is happening, just check out the …