Last week I spent a few days on the West Coast of the South Island checking out the West Coast Wilderness Trail, one of the 23 routes that currently make up the NZ Cycle Trail network. The route winds …
Author: LennyBoy
Biking Activities for June 2018
It might be getting a bit frostier, but funnily enough the cycling action around Christchurch is just starting to hot up! A number of exciting bike-related activities are happening this month, both on and off your saddle. As usual, keep …
Video of the Day: Why we need cycleways
We regularly feature an interesting photo from around the city, but this time it is a video that captures our attention. As you may recall, the City Council has recently been consulting on its Long Term Plan for the next …
Can you overtake a bike now on Dyers Pass Rd?
Recently, the City Council voted to reduce the speed limit along Dyers Pass Rd and to introduce double yellow no-passing lines along the route. This comes after many concerns about safety along this route over the Port Hills, including …
Hidden Treasures: Heathcote River corridor
Christchurch might be better known for its Avon River (which is quite a nice place to ride too) but if you’re looking for a gentler and more scenic cycling route, I would recommend trying out a section of the Heathcote …
Night-time Cycling
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of travelling around the country. More often than not, that has necessitated very early starts to catch the “red eye” flight out of town. As described previously, my usual method of getting to …
Photo of the Day: Cycleway Rail Crossings
Our photo today shows a glimpse of what the future will look like for some of our cycleways that cross railway lines. Historically, the old approach on busy pathway level crossings was to provide a “maze” that contorted you to …
Biking Activities for May 2018
The colder, wetter stuff is showing up a little more often now as autumn gets into full stride and winter looms. I’ve certainly noticed a (slight) drop-off already in the numbers biking to school and work, as the shadows lengthen …
Draft Govt Policy Statement is good news for cycling
We’ve heard lots of cycle-friendly murmurings from the new Government since they came into power. But as the saying goes, that all counts for naught until you “show me the money”. That has now happened with the release of …
Do cycle crossings need a bell?
Here’s a bit of an idea I’ve been pondering for a little while: We’re all used to the traditional “chirp” or “buzz” that accompanies the ‘green man’ signal at most pedestrian crossings; in fact, it seems odd when it doesn’t …
Chch Long Term Plan 2018-28: Submission time
It’s that time of the year when Councils around the country put our their budget plans for what they want to spend your precious rates (and other funding sources) on. In 2018, as is done every three years, that exercise …
Biking Activities for April 2018
As summer slowly fades away (although it’s currently a rather glorious autumn weekend), the regular biking activities are also starting to quieten a little too. We’ve listed a few below; remember to keep an eye on our Events & Activities …
Yes, there are people who cycle in Christchurch – plenty!
Anytime that cycleways are discussed around Christchurch, it doesn’t take long before someone pipes up and claims that they never see any (or many) people using the new or previous cycleways. I always wonder just when, where and how they …
Photo of the Day: Auckland Cycleways
It’s been a busy few week for me work-wise (hence the slow rate of blog posts), and that work has also taken me around the country a lot. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in Auckland for a …
Book Review: The Kiwi Cyclist’s Guide to Life
by Jane King (237pp., Bateman Publishing, 2017, Hardback $39.99 RRP)
First a caveat: I’m not big on mountain-biking, road biking, BMX, cyclo-cross, Nduro, etc; even cycle touring is a rare foray (although I’m planning to head over to the …
Biking Activities for March 2018
The traditional national bike month has come and gone; I hope that many of you were clocking up the kms for the Aotearoa Bike Challenge (have you logged all your rides?). Great to see a number of you at …
Photo of the Day: Quarryman’s Trail construction
After the busy state of cycleway building in 2017, this year is showing no let-up for now as the Major Cycleway programme continues apace. There is lots of activity taking place along Linwood Ave for Rapanui Stage 2, some …
Do cycleways = extravagance?
There’s a worrying trend starting to appear in conversations around Christchurch. Any time that a city agency (City Council, Otakaro, ECan, you name it) is seen to be doing something new, problematic or contentious, social comment seems to very quickly …
Tram Tracks, Cycle Signals – Two local cycling surveys to do
There are a couple of public surveys on cycling topics currently out for Christchurch residents to fill in. See below for the details:
{Disclosure: my company is involved in doing the analysis for both surveys}
Survey on cycling tram-track incidents
…Biking Activities for February 2018
Summer continues to impress weather-wise, so there’s been no real excuse to get on the saddle and go for a ride. And there continue to be a range of biking activities to keep people happy; hopefully the weather will keep …