Any day now, we should be getting news of the finalised National Land Transport Programme, which will then inform Councils about what projects they will get funding subsidy for. Not that we should be getting our hopes up too …
Category: Bicycle politics
Anything about politics, politicians, submissions etc.
Flashback Friday: Council Long Term Plan brings some good cycleway news
In case you haven’t noticed; the Chch City Council is currently consulting on its 2024-34 Long Term Plan (with feedback due Sun 21st Apr). This important exercise every three years sets out the key priorities for the various Council activities, …
Flashback Friday – The GPS: Govt Pro-roads Statement on transport
So, after much bluster and talk, the new Government has released its draft GPS on Transport and it’s perhaps not surprising that it’s mostly roads, roads, roads. I’ll make some more comments on this in a future blog, but it …
Flashback Friday: Roger wants cycling in the city too…
This week, we’ve just had the 13th anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch back in 2011 – it really does seem a lifetime ago now. In the first few years afterwards, a lot of discussions were had about …
Flashback Friday: Are new cycleways OK for existing cyclists?
I had an interesting conversation earlier this week with a reporter, talking about how people are getting used to using our cycleways as they get ever busy, including lots of passing each other and queuing at intersections. It’s a nice …
Cycling in Chch 2023 in Review: The Good, the Bad, the in-Between
And just like that, another year is over and we ponder what has happened since we last reviewed the state of cycling Chch at the end of 2022 – suffice to say that it seems like a mix of things……
Flashback Friday: Draft Govt Policy Statement is good news for cycling
After a fair bit of horse-trading, we finally look like we have a new Government about to be formed. Then it will be interesting to see how much they change existing transport policies, including how much cycling continues to get …
Flashback Friday: What price for a cycleway?
Most of the Major Cycle Routes that are being developed around Chch follow either existing streets or through parks and other reserve areas. But nearly 7 years ago, one new route was created through the purchase of a couple of …
Flashback Friday: Do cycleways = extravagance?
Christchurch City Council is starting conversations about their updated Long Term Plan, and already there have been some rumblings about possible financial struggles. Predictably, cycleways are one of the possible candidates for the chopping block, although I’d be …
Flashback Friday: Cycle-friendly places vs People-friendly ones
If you’ve been anywhere near Cathedral Square lately, you might have noticed the works that have been going on in the southeast quadrant (near Distinction Hotel) to improve the look of the area. It’s part of a wider project to …
Election 2023! Who to vote for?
It’s that time again when every three years we’re called upon to do our democratic duty and vote in the national elections. Official voting day is not until Sat Oct 14th, but early voting is now open. Labour has …
Flashback Friday: Can e-scooters and bikes co-exist?
Perhaps I should have re-titled this “can e-scooters and pedestrians co-exist?”, as we’ve just heard that Waka Kotahi (NZTA) have decided to renew their Gazette notice declaring that “e-scooters (up to 300W) are not motor vehicles” and are thus able …
Flashback Friday: Money galore for cycleways
The Government’s latest Budget was just delivered; given the current political environment it was no surprise to see it focus on “the basics” and cost of living. On the transport front, there were lollies for public transport services and fares…
Flashback Friday – The $69 million question: Sign the Petition for cycleways
Many of you may know that the Christchurch City Council’s Annual Plan is currently out for consultation. Submissions close this Monday 10th April, so make sure that you have your say! As is often the case, some cycleways …
Hey world, have you heard of Christchurch?!
We all love a bit of healthy rivalry, whether it’s which is the bigger “second city” in NZ or even which is the “shittest town in NZ”. Bike-friendliness is another metric by which many people seek to answer “where …
Flashback Friday – Mythbusting: What a Safe Passing Rule Means
It was eight years ago now since I was involved in the national Cycle Safety Panel that made various recommendations to government, including a number of Rule and policy changes. One of them that got a bit of attention was …
What does the new Chch City Council mean for cycling?
It’s been a few weeks now since the local body elections were held and the dust is settling on the final results around the country. Here in Christchurch we have a new mayor in Phil Mauger and also six new …
Submit on getting a Fringe Benefit exemption for Bikes-to-Work
Connor Read (co-founder of the Shutl e-bike rental service) has alerted me to an interesting but troubling development in the world of fringe-benefit tax (FBT). Many of you may know that current legislation in NZ requires FBT to be paid …
Flashback Friday – Elections 2019: Why are Cycleways always the Easy Beat?
It’s coming up to the end of this term’s local government elections. If you haven’t done so already: get out there and vote! You have until midday this Saturday 8th and you’ll have to hand in your voting papers in …
Flashback Friday: Christchurch – The City that… Cycles ??
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As New Zealand reopens to the world (despite the lingering Covid numbers…), and we start to see more international visitors to our shores, it’s an interesting question as to what impressions they will take away from the various places they …