Next week sees the biennial 2WALKandCYCLE national conference come to Palmerston North; I’ll be there along with a couple hundred other delegates from around NZ and elsewhere. One of the highlights of the three days will be the presentation of …
Author: LennyBoy
Photo of the Day: The fuss about Island Bay
We’re not immune to a little controversy about cycleways in Christchurch, whether it’s their cost, their impact on parking, or the eternal cry of “what about St Asaph St?” But I’d say that we have got nothing on the Island …
First Look: Rapanui – Shag Rock Stage 2
For once, a cycleway opening in Christchurch was heralded by a lovely fine day (is the curse broken?). A good crowd descended on Linwood Park on Friday to celebrate the official opening of the next section of the Rapanui …
Carrying stuff by bike
Apparently you can’t carry a refrigerator on your bicycle. I’ve seen one or two examples where that has actually been done, but I must admit I probably won’t be doing it anytime soon (nor for that matter bringing it home …
Biking Activities for July 2018
You know that winter has arrived when the cycling numbers drop away with the cold and the rain. The numbers riding are still a lot more than many people seem to realise (check out the SmartView stats) but it’s perhaps …
Support and Usage of Cycling still high in Chch
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. …
Palmy Nth is the place to be for cycling in July
If you want to find out the latest happenings in the NZ cycling scene (and beyond), then it might be worth booking some travel to Palmerston North soon. Because the next “2WALKandCYCLE” NZ Walking and Cycling Conference is coming to …
Photo of the Day: Cycle Counter Display
A nice development in Christchurch over the past few months has been the introduction of various automated cycle counters around the city and a webpage at SmartView that captures all of them together. This helps to counter some of the …
West Coast Wilderness Trail: a great tour
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 …
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 …