Well it’s been a while since my last post, but that’s mainly because I’ve been in Australia this past week. Most of my time was spent in Adelaide for the Velo-City Global 2014 cycling conference, the first time this international …
Category: Cyclivism
Anything to do with cycle activism
A little plug for Spokes Canterbury
The recent local media coverage has been fairly comprehensive in discussing first the planned delays to completing the Major Cycleway network and then reaction to the tragic cycle death a couple of weeks ago. Through it all, you might have …
Guest Post: Cycling in the Netherlands
Here’s an interesting guest post from regular viewer Frank Dohmen (Cyclomaniac):
After been away for 7 years we decided to visit family and friends in our home country the Netherlands. Since our friends and family are quite spread over the …
Guest Post: The Great Cycle Safety Debate
Here’s an interesting thinkpiece from occasional guest blogger Robert:
How has it come to this?
The recent publicity about cycle safety, highlighting cycle-related deaths and injuries is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, emphasising the problems that cyclists have …
The way we talk about cyclist safety
I’ve had an interesting conversation recently with someone working on a PhD at the University of Canterbury looking at transport identities. I’m hopeful that she will write us an article or two here so I’m not going cover much of …
Highlights from Spokes AGM and Councillor Panel
As advertised earlier, last Wednesday night saw the Spokes Canterbury AGM being held at CPIT, and over 30 people were present to hear some interesting happenings in the worlds of cycling advocacy and local politics.
The evening started with …
Coroner’s Cycling Inquest Hits Christchurch Soon
Although the memories of two recent cycling deaths in Christchurch are still fresh, some of you might recall that in late 2010, there was a spate of incidents where five people cycling died in New Zealand in less than a …
Don’t be a D***k – Stop at Red
There’s been a small flurry of conversation following the TV item on cycling safety last weekend. No matter what the particular cycling issue being reported, it doesn’t take long for the commentators to come out of the woodwork and …
Mythbusting: Cyclists don’t Pay
Cycling has been in the media a bit lately and once again a familiar chorus has sprung up. It doesn’t matter whether you are talking funding for cycleways, whether to wear hi-vis clothing, or a high-profile cycle crash…
High-visibility clothing for cyclists a must – coroner
This is the moment I feared would come. Why does NZ officialdom come up with so many crackpot ideas? Why do they think it is more effective to have ambulances at the bottom of the cliff than erecting fences at …
The World’s Most Bicycle Friendly Cities
A closely related organisation to Cycling in Christchurch is Spokes Canterbury, who amongst other things advocate for better infrastructure to encourage more people to cycle more often. They have recently adopted a goal of making Christchurch one of the …
Safety: Who Ya Gonna Call…?
OK, so you’ve had a crash while out riding, whether with a car or some other hazard. Or maybe it was just a near-miss but it’s not the first time you’ve had problems at that site. Or perhaps some idiot …
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 …
A Soft Brush with the Law
Ok, it happened. A [soft] brush with the Law.
Cycling into CERA to pick up the new Central City Transport Plan, I was coasting along the footpath on Montreal, I breezed up to the pedestrian crossing, and hit the …
Looking for new bloggers
It spring – time for growing!
So we’re putting the call out for some new blogging ‘blood’ to join our teams in Cycling in Auckland, Cycling in Wellington and Cycling in Christchurch!
This is your opportunity to have …
Christchurch City of Cycles?
Thanks to Spokes Canterbury for giving us a rundown on the draft Christchurch Transport Plan (CTP). http://spokes.org.nz/submission/2012/ccc-draft-christchurch-transport-plan
There are lots of illustrations and a clear explanation of why walking and cycling, Active Transport (AT) make sense economically, socially and practically. …
ICECycles free bike workshop a success
The ninth Inner City East Cycles (ICECycles) free bike maintenance workshop went very well on Saturday 21 July at Delta Community house. The team of volunteers repaired 57 bikes and gave away 17 bikes to appreciative attendees, bringing the total …
Cycling Missing in the Neighbourhoods
“Suburban Nation – The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream”
Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck
10th Anniversary Edition
North Point Press 2010
Suburban Nation is three architects’ vision for how our burgeoning population can …
The Orthodoxy of the Highway – The true believer’s approach to transportation planning
Back in the 1940’s urban planners found that building or expanding roading increased traffic congestion. This point was further reinforced in NY in 1973 when the West Side Highway collapsed and the predicted traffic chaos was instead a reduction in …
Cyclopolitan
For some time now I have needed a new word. When I tell people that I ride a bike, they instantly think ‘Cyclist’ and imagine me in head-to-toe lycra – this is not a good thing.
I would not wish …