Happy World Bicycle Day! This week, New Zealand was in the limelight over in the US as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern got to meet President Joe Biden in Washington DC. Meanwhile, back here in NZ, some quick-build trial cycleways …
Category: Bicycle politics
Anything about politics, politicians, submissions etc.
Flashback Friday: Would the Draft Cycle Safety Panel Recommendations make a Difference?
Seven years ago I was hugely involved in a significant exercise in the biking space: a national cycle safety panel. It was an amazing experience that led to the forging of many great ongoing connections with some talented people. More …
Flashback Friday: More on why I write submissions
Last week we looked back on some advice from Chrys Horn about the importance of submissions when consultations come out. This week, Chrys continues the theme (first published in Sep 2014) and gives some more examples why submitting can …
Flashback Friday – Submissions: Why bother?
Happy Biketober! I hope you have a fun month… But as we mentioned yesterday, it’s also a time to mourn the passing of a great local advocate Dirk de Lu. One of the things that Dirk was prolific at …
Flashback Friday: A little plug for Spokes Canterbury
Local cycle advocacy group Spokes Canterbury recently had its Annual General Meeting, and reflected on another positive year of progress for cycling in the city. This post (originally from Apr 2014) reminds us of the work that Spokes has …
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 …
Northern Arterial Extension – Biking Opportunities Part 2
The second part of this post focuses on the benefits to those who ride a bike, as part of DEMP – Downstream Effects Management Plan. A plan developed for CCC to facilitate the smooth passage into the city of …
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 …
Who are we providing cycleways for?
Recently there was a Facebook post to Chch City Council’s site by someone grumbling about cyclists using traffic lanes in the central city when a cycleway exists on the same road. Not surprisingly, there was quite a bit of animated …
Flashback Friday: Don’t be a D***k – Stop at Red
Nothing gets the cycle-moaners vocal quicker it seems than any hint of law-breaking by people biking. And while that is often a case of “the pot calling the kettle black”, I do still often see some fairly dodgy behaviour at …
Submit on CCC Annual Plan – Take 2
It’s a bit last minute but, if you have a moment, make a quick submission on the revised Chch City Council 2020/21 Annual Plan – submissions close 5pm Monday 29th June. And there are potentially some worrying implications for …
Cycling and Trams
I’ve just finished working my way through Graham Stewart’s wonderful 1993 public tramway book “The End of the Penny Section” (yes, I’m an old public transport tragic from way back…). It tells the really interesting story of how trams …
Flashback Friday: More Cycling in the News
The image of cycling in Christchurch (and New Zealand in general) has slowly changed over the years, from the perception of some strange “hobby” that a few enthusiasts do, to a more everyday activity undertaken by a wide range of …
Flashback Friday: The Cycleway Tax that isn’t
When we think of the hundreds of millions that Christchurch (and NZ in general) is now spending on cycleways, it takes a bit to remember that not that long ago the prospect of finding even $70 million for local cycleways …
Flashback Friday – Mythbusting: Cyclists don’t Pay
One thing I have tried to do over time at CiC is to build up a few “go to” blog articles for those situations when you need some ammunition in a debate over cycling. The classic complaint that “cyclists get …
ECan Forgets about Bicycles
ECan’s Annual Plan is up for consultation until 25 March.
Spokes Canterbury has their draft sub up for those with an interest. http://www.spokes.org.nz/2020/03/ecan-annual-plan-2020/
With the new elected ECan Board there is the chance to get cycling back into their consciousness. …
Christchurch Annual Plan and More Community Boards
Nb: Papanui Innes residents and riders your Community Board only gave 11 days for submissions. It is due on Monday March 2nd. The rest vary from 6 to 9 March. The Annual Plan gives you to 2 April.
The consultations …
Flashback Friday: The AA does Cycling
Historically, the NZAA was never really a champion for all things cycling, which in itself probably wasn’t that surprising. But over the past decade they have been reviewing that relationship, probably partly due to the fact that many of …
Flashback Friday: Is cycling really cared about in this city?
The tragic events of last week on the outskirts of town and the subsequent suggestions of poor cycle-friendly safety practices can make it feel like the world is very much against you when on your bike. It’s a theme that …
New City Council gets underway
Following the recent local body elections, it hasn’t taken long for the new Christchurch City Council to get stuck into their business. A first Council meeting is happening this Thursday 31st Oct, and already there are some interesting developments …