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 …
Category: Flashback
Identifies those posts that have already been featured in a Flashback Friday
The AA does Cycling
You heard it right: the NZ Automobile Association, the champion of motorists in this country, has just released the latest issue of its Directions magazine, with a bumper crop of articles on cycling. And it’s rather nice…
The issue …
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
Googling your Way around Town by Bike
An interesting development was added to everybody’s favourite mapping service Google Maps in the past month. NZ’ers can now experience getting directions for cycling, which will make use of any handy cycling shortcuts such as off-road paths. Viewers can also …
Electric Bikes. Even more reason for good cycling infrastructure
When it comes to publicity about electric power in the transport sector it seems that electric cars get all the kudos. The era of electric cars is apparently just round the corner. Electric bikes get so little coverage there must …
Is Anyone Out There?
Sometimes it can be a thankless job trying to be a blogger. You put your ideas, experiences, frustrations, etc out there for the world to see and… nothing. Not a peep of response, whether to say “hey, I agree!”, “that …
I Like / I Don’t Like…
Well this idea seemed to garner a bit of comment on our sister blog Cycling In Auckland, so I thought I’d try it here:
I LIKE the fact that I could go and take a whole bunch of photos …
Cycle paths – important for keeping our aging population fit and well?
Separated cycle paths are an important part of a cycle network because they can help people get the cycling bug and to build their confidence to cycle and to manage in traffic.
My mother (currently in her mid 70s) had …
Public Bikes for Christchurch?
An interesting news item in The Press on Thursday about a young entrepreneur looking to introduce public bikes to Christchurch. Bicycle Ventures director Robert Henderson has partnered with fellow public bike scheme Nextbike in Auckland, and already has trials …
Eastern Visions
With all the fuss recently about proposed plans for the Central City, many people have quite rightly asked what about plans for east Christchurch where much of the worst quake damage occurred. There is a lot of infrastructure (including …
Going our separate ways…
There’s been a lot of feedback over the years in Christchurch about trying to provide more separation between people cycling and driving, as per the many European examples we see bandied about. A lot of feedback in Share an Idea…
Roger wants cycling in the city too…
Last week we looked at CERA’s new Central City Recovery Plan and how it might cater for cycling. You might know that CERA’s CEO Roger Sutton is pretty keen on cycling; is that likely to translate into the new city?…
Is cycling a part of the new Central City Plan?
Last Monday, CERA’s Central City Development Unit (CCDU) released their Central City Recovery Plan, promising a more compact central area, bounded by a green “frame” and home to a number of designated precincts for different activities. Having had a …
Should we have cycle helmet legislation? NOT the same question as “should we wear helmets”!
I’m writing this here because I seem to be writing something like it often recently thanks to Aaron Keown’s comments in the media recently!
All other things being equal, I agree, it is better to wear a helmet when cycling …
The banana box challenge
I’m sure this could become an internationally acclaimed event whose popularity rivals the Tour De France. How many banana boxes can you fit on one pedal powered vehicle and keep them there while cycling for three kilometers over potholed road …
Bikes on Buses
Another reason why cycling in Christchurch is great: you can combine bike and bus trips!
This evening I had to go to a meeting in Burnside. From work it was only another 5km – easy to get there by bike. …
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 …
Cycling in the News
There have been a flurry of cycling-related articles in the local news lately; looking at the online versions, they have also attracted a fair amount of discussion (and rant, vitriol, …):
- Christchurch City councillor Aaron Keown waded into the helmet
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 …