You may have seen the new Cathedral Square concept plans released last week by Regenerate Christchurch. They have certainly generated lots of comment (positive and negative), and you might argue about the architectural merit of some of the development ideas. …
Category: Flashback
Identifies those posts that have already been featured in a Flashback Friday
West Coast Wilderness Trail: a great tour
Last week I spent a few days on the West Coast of the South Island checking out the West Coast Wilderness Trail, one of the 23 routes that currently make up the NZ Cycle Trail network. The route winds …
Hidden Treasures: Heathcote River corridor
Christchurch might be better known for its Avon River (which is quite a nice place to ride too) but if you’re looking for a gentler and more scenic cycling route, I would recommend trying out a section of the Heathcote …
Night-time Cycling
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of travelling around the country. More often than not, that has necessitated very early starts to catch the “red eye” flight out of town. As described previously, my usual method of getting to …
Draft Govt Policy Statement is good news for cycling
We’ve heard lots of cycle-friendly murmurings from the new Government since they came into power. But as the saying goes, that all counts for naught until you “show me the money”. That has now happened with the release of …
Yes, there are people who cycle in Christchurch – plenty!
Anytime that cycleways are discussed around Christchurch, it doesn’t take long before someone pipes up and claims that they never see any (or many) people using the new or previous cycleways. I always wonder just when, where and how they …
Do cycleways = extravagance?
There’s a worrying trend starting to appear in conversations around Christchurch. Any time that a city agency (City Council, Otakaro, ECan, you name it) is seen to be doing something new, problematic or contentious, social comment seems to very quickly …
First Look: Uni-Cycle completion
As we mentioned previously, it’s time to start introducing you to some of the new Major Cycle Routes that have been constructed lately. We have already shown you the recently completed Rapanui cycleway; now let’s head across to …
Cycling wishes for Christmas
Dear Santa,
I hope you and Mrs Claus are well. I have been a good boy this year, riding my bike lots and only bothering a few people on social media. Here’s what I would like for Christmas:
- I would
Photo (and a half) of the Day: Cycleway signage
As a number of Major Cycle Routes come on-stream, it’s pretty important that people know where these routes are and where they go to. So it’s good to see quite a few of these popping up around the place …
Are new cycleways OK for existing cyclists?
When considering potential objections to cycleways, or “bikelash”, there are the usual suspects to consider, such as businesses worried about losing parking, and motorists worried about getting held up. But another group has also been making noises about some …
Bike Expo a great success
The first NZ Bike Expo has been a great success. To save me having to write something, I’ll simply bring you the words of Expo organisers Jo Mackay and Krissy O’Connor:
The first-ever NZ Bike Expo, which was held in …
Biketober 2017 is Here!
Time for another month to tick over again, but this time not just any old month – no, it’s Biketober! Wait, what happened to October?
Biketober (not surprisingly, a fusion of ‘bike’ and ‘October’) is a month-long celebration of cycling …
The GPS: Govt Pro-roads Statement on transport
If you’ve ever wondered why it is that cycling only seems to get a pittance of the funding that roading does, it’s largely down to an innocuously named document called the GPS. No, it’s not about determining your location …
Solutions to traffic queues
I was impressed with this image from a story on Auckland’s traffic congestion which suggested Aucklanders spend 4 weeks a year stuck in traffic.
It’s a great perspective with the queued traffic snarling to a standstill while the lone cyclist …
New cycling research causes a flurry
Three interesting research reports about cycling have just been publicly released by the NZ Transport Agency and already they’re causing a bit of a stir around cycling circles (and elsewhere…). We previously alluded to these pieces of work being underway, …
Cycling in the Heat
Some might say it’s a nice problem to have, but when the mercury is pushing 30 degrees (or even a sunny 20), sometimes it’s just hard work to hop on your bike. I guess we should be thankful that it …
What price for a cycleway?
One of the more contentious issues recently regarding Christchurch’s Major Cycleways revolved around the proposal to purchase two properties in Somerfield to create a new link between Roker and Barrington Streets as part of the Quarryman’s Trail cycleway. This option …
Cycling in Christchurch 2016 – The cycling city continues to build
“Rebuild” – that term seems to have been in the local lexicon ever since the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquakes. And yet, more than ever, 2016 really felt like a year when the rebuild really was in full swing across Christchurch. I’ve …
Photo of the Day: The pub run – by bike
It’s the end of the working year for many; time to put your feet up and perhaps enjoy a favourite drink. It so happens that my work is located directly above a pub (handy for those “downstairs meeting room” appointments…)…