Cycling in Christchurch

Cycling in the Cold

Some of you may be getting ready to brave the elements for the Winter Solstice Ride. Maybe at other times, it’s just about biking to work on a frosty Canterbury morning. Whatever the situation, if you spend long enough …

Should Cycling be allowed in the Botanic Gardens?

The Christchurch Botanic Gardens are the jewel in the crown that is our wonderful Hagley Park. On display there are a huge selection of interesting plants and flowers, both around the grounds and inside the numerous conservatories. When my …

Have mercy on me, a Health & Safety sinner

I was made to feel like an irresponsible criminal yesterday. My crime? I wanted to carry 3 lengths of stainless steel home on my bike for my latest bike trailer project. It was around 10kg worth of material in 3m …

Where should we have lower speed limits?

The City Council is currently undertaking their (usually) biennial review of speed limits around the city and are seeking feedback on them. Most of the proposed changes are located around the periphery of the urban limits, where roads are gradually …

Photo of the Day: North Hagley Pathway Works

The fine weather over the past couple of months has allowed contractors to make excellent progress on the Uni-Cycle pathway improvements from North Hagley Park to Riccarton Bush. The alleyway pathway beside Boys High has been dramatically widened, and a …

Where could we easily add cycle lanes?

So recently I went and changed jobs. On the upside, that means 15 minutes less biking each way; on the downside, that means 15 minutes less biking each way… 🙂 More pertinently however, it also means a change …

What are your current Chch cycle safety concerns?

I’ve been involved in a few recent discussions with the City Council about current cycle safety issues in the city; it is of course an ongoing issue in the city. To help inform me, I thought I’d have a look …

Another look at Auckland: Shared Paths

I talked a few weeks ago about the latest cycling developments up in the City of Sails, aka Auckland. One more issue that they are still grappling with, particularly as cycle numbers boom up there, is the heavy use …

Guest Post: Coffee, Cycling and Culture

Guest blogger Robert muses on the “eternal triangle” of life:

Cycling, Coffee and Culture. It’s a Kiwi Thing , eh bro’…

Well, perhaps not quite as stated but certainly New Zealanders, and in particular those immigrants who made Christchurch their …

Isabelle (necessary on a bicycle?)

An interesting initiative is being considered by the Christchurch City Council. Following a deputation to a Community Board by a dog walker, the Council has agreed to to promote and encourage the use of bells on bicycles.

The concern …

The Subtle Art of Supporting Cycleways

There’s been a flurry of letters lately in The Press about cycleways. While many of them have been grumbling about some aspect of the proposed Major Cycleways, it’s heartening to see a few firing back with their support for them. …

Cycling Postcards from Australia

Last week I returned from a 10-day family holiday to the east coast of Australia, travelling around between Brisbane and Sydney. Being on holiday (and doing most of the driving), I didn’t take too many cycling-related pictures (see a few …

Photo of the Day: Matai Cycleway Rail Crossing

It’s great to see the new Matai St East cycleway, now mirroring the older cycleway on Matai St West. As you heard recently, already it looks like it is a popular route for cyclists. But perhaps the price …

Flashback: Cycling in Copenhagen

I’ve been lucky to get to visit many interesting places overseas and have dutifully reported about these back here on Cycling in Chch. But there have also been places visited before CiC started that might be of interest to …

Book Review: Short Easy Bike Rides

by Jonathan Kennett (131pp., Kennett Brothers Ltd, Wellington, RRP $24.90)

The Kennett Brothers have built up a well-earned reputation for cycling books in New Zealand, including guides to the best mountain-bike haunts, NZ cycling history, and touring on …

Guest Post: Statistics, Dollars, and the Intangible (Priceless) Benefits of Cycling

Guest blogger Robert has a look at his wallet (and a few other measures) this week:

It was good to see the recent post from Lennyboy sharing the reports of an increase in numbers of cycles using the shared Hagley …

First Count Data for New Cycleways

If you build it, will they come? That’s the question hanging over many new cycleway projects proposed in New Zealand. And when you’re talking about spending over $150 million on cycleways in Christchurch, quite a few people are interested in …

Photo of the Day: Rolleston Ave Shared Path

One of the more popular places to ride a bike in Christchurch is along Rolleston Ave in front of Christ’s College, Canterbury Museum and the Botanic Gardens. This section of shared pathway (mostly 3m wide) provides a useful connection to/from …

Not-so-hidden Treasures: Hagley Park

New York might have its Central Park, but our jewel in the crown is of course Hagley Park. It’s a recreational and sporting home for all manner of activities, be it golf, cricket, jogging, canoeing, or just feeding the …

Photo of the Day: Xmas Shopping by Bike

‘Tis the season, and everyone is frantically rushing around getting their festive goodies. That tends to mean that traffic and parking get a bit crazy, which duly gets reported in the media (not that it’s really “news” if it happens …