I’m currently in Sydney attending the Australasian Road Safety Conference here; some interesting sessions so far. I also got to have a bit of a wander around last weekend and check out a few bits of their impressive cycling network – more about that in a coming post.
Today’s keynote speaker was Canadian Tom Flood from Rovélo Creative. Initially trained in advertising and marketing (ironically often for car company ads…), Tom was spurred by the experience of his children trying to bike the mean streets of Hamilton, Ontario to try to flip the script on automobile dominance and to present alternative perspectives. So he started using social media to help convey some of these points to the wider public.
His communications background has certainly helped to come up with some creative ways to show the potential dangers of cycling on unprotected streets.
After Tom’s initial presentation, he was joined by two other panellists on stage to discuss why it is that we continue to make it so difficult to provide safer cycling environments.
And that’s a cue to remind you all that Tom will also be visiting Christchurch this weekend! On the afternoon of Sat 31st Oct, from 1.30pm in the Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre, Tom will be wrapping up Biketober by giving a short presentation on his work. He will then join a panel discussion with locals from both the transport and design fields: Tim Chesney (Director, Make), Jeanette Ward (Technical Director Transportation Engineering, Abley), and Simon Kingham (Professor of Geography, University of Canterbury). The event is free, but make sure you register for it!
Will you be hearing what Tom has to say?