Some Bike Ideas from Washington DC

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 …

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 …

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

Book Review: Easy Rider – A Kiwi’s Guide to Cycling

by Jon Bridges (203pp., Penguin Books, Auckland, RRP $40)

If you have Xmas book vouchers burning a hole in your pocket, here is one new book that you might like to get a hold of.

Jon Bridges has been …

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 …

Book Review: Everyday Cycling in Aotearoa New Zealand

by Alastair Smith (185pp., Awa Press, Wellington, RRP $35)

Here’s something that might be handy as a Xmas stocking-filler!

Over the years I have collected a variety of books on cycling for transport and urban cycle commuting. Invariably they …

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 …

Are you “Interested but Concerned”?

When trying to encourage more people to cycle, it’s helpful to “know your audience”. There’s an interesting theory that was developed in Portland, Oregon, to help understand who might want to cycle for transportation. Its intuitive logic has been so …

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