Greetings from Washington DC! I’m attending the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting here this week. Actually, “meeting” is a bit of a misnomer; TRB is easily the largest transportation conference in the world, with over 11,000 delegates attending and …
Category: Cycle infrastructure
Cycle paths, networks, traffic lights, racks etc.
Clever Cycling Stuff: Cycle Detectors
We showcase a lot of neat overseas cycling facilities here on this site, but Christchurch has actually developed some pretty world-beating stuff itself over the years. Exhibit #1: cycle detectors at signalised path crossings:
As a cyclist approaching a signalised …
Handy Tips: Sharing those Pathways
With summer upon us, many people will be out and about to enjoy the various off-road recreational facilities around the city. Places like Hagley Park, the Railway Cycleway and Bottle Lake Forest are always popular, and the Council has …
National’s Transport Dystopia
Gerry Brownlee and National’s quake recovery plan for central city transportation would almost have been visionary in 1980. It relies on fossil fuel and caters to think big projects which will impoverish and fail ratepayers.
Christchurch City Council’s Share an …
Hidden Treasures: Westburn Reserve Bike Park
Merry Christmas! I hope Santa got you the bike-friendly gift you were after. If Junior has got a new bike they’re probably raring to try it out somewhere. There are various parks and tracks around Christchurch where they can have …
An Awesome Bike Rack from an Awesome Team
You may recall that the wonderful folks at the Ministry of Awesome held a bike rack design competition. After many entries, short-listing, and public voting, a winner was found in Jonathan Hall’s koru-inspired design. And just the other night …
Hidden Treasures: Kendal School Bike Track
Tucked away in northwest Christchurch is a unique cycle facility that could be the model for others in the city. Kendal School, a small primary school in Burnside, has constructed a 600m cycle track around its periphery. This provides its …
Co-operative Design
Lately members of many online communities have co-operated together to develop all sorts of complex and useful programs despite the members being spread far and wide around the world. Should this online community be looking at co-operating to design our …
The 1000-Day Challenge
The draft Transport Plan for central Christchurch has attracted a lot of comment both positive and negative about its impact on cycling. Now the Council’s Chch Transport Strategic Plan has just been finalised too, setting a city-wide 30-year vision for …
Maintenance: Who Ya Gonna Call…?
No, it’s probably not the Ghostbusters (and that reference just went over the head of half my audience…). But if you do spot a problem while out riding, there are a number of options you have for making sure …
Will Christchurch be an Accessible City for Cycling?
CERA released its draft central city Transport Plan “An Accessible City” last Thursday (hmm, just before a holiday weekend – trying to bury things?). This follows on from the Central City Blueprint that we saw a little over 100 …
Christmas Shopping
It’s that time of year, Christmas shopping time and I’m looking for the best possible present for an old friend, the city of Christchurch. Yes, she’s had a hard time lately so she deserves the very best present I can …
Bike the New Motorway – Sat 17th November
Whatever your opinion of the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS), they’re here for now and steady progress has been made locally on the Christchurch Southern Motorway project. The new section of motorway west of Curletts Rd will be open …
Separated Bikeways in Portland
I know I rabbit on about places like Portland, Oregon, but it seems to me that they are in a similar place to us. A reasonable amount of cycling at present (~6% commuters) largely based on developing a network of …
First Look: Fitzgerald Ave Pathway
It’s actually been open for about two months now, but I finally had a close-up look at the replacement walking/cycling pathway constructed alongside Fitzgerald Ave as it winds past the Avon River.
For those who are struggling to recall, …
Cycling – What the People Say
One of the unsung but more useful documents that the City Council prepare each year is a Residents’ Survey. Designed to measure resident use of and satisfaction with Council services and activities, it provides a useful snapshot on what …
Cycle Lane Separators – Your Feedback Wanted
You may recall an earlier post introducing a trial of cycle lane separators to be installed at a couple of Christchurch locations. Well those trials have been going for a couple of months now and, as well as collecting videoed …
Ilam Road revisited – submissions due Mon 15th
Well my last post was a bit of a grumble and a rant. But here is some more promising news to look forward to. You might recall that the City Council put out a proposed plan to do up Ilam …
A complete cycling network for 34 cents a year
Am I missing something? The Christchurch Transport Plan says that there’s a golden opportunity right now to create a complete high quality cycling network in Christchurch. The graphs in the plan show a steadily increasing spend on cycling and walking. …
Is cycling really cared about in this city?
So the other day I had to ride to town for a meeting at the City Council. As I rode in from Somerfield, I noticed a number of things that got me wondering:
- Just north of Brougham St, Antigua St