Cycling in Christchurch

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 …

Guest Post: Edgeware Village – Strength to Strength

Guest blogger Robert has some thoughts about his local…

Can the injection of a cycleway help revitalise a Village that keeps on keeping on?

Like most small suburban centres in any New Zealand city, life has been tough for Edgeware …

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 …

Biking Activities for May 2017

It’s starting to get a bit chillier out there again, but nice to still see some sunny weather in Christchurch most of the time (I’ve probably jinxed it now…). As we move into May, there continue to be a …

Hidden Treasures: Bottle Lake Forest Park

Mountain-biking around Christchurch tends to divide into the hilly bits and the flat bits. The Port Hills give you plenty of the former (even with the Chch Adventure Park temporarily out of action), while the flatter stuff tends to be …

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 …

Nor’West Arc Cycleway now due for consultation

Simon Barnard has already introduced you to the latest Major Cycleway project out for consultation and aired his concerns. Here’s a bit more of a breakdown of what is proposed, to help you make a submission (which are due …

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 …

Mythbusting: “Hardly anyone cycles”

Getting cycleways over the line in Christchurch (and the rest of New Zealand) has always been a difficult task, with various concerns about cost, car-parking, traffic restrictions, potential conflicts, you name it. It’s interesting to note though how often we …

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, …

First look: Chch Adventure Park

After all the anticipation, it was great to see the Christchurch Adventure Park open in mid-December. Since then, heaps of people have flocked to the park to try out the mountain bike trails and other facilities. Apparently the …

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 …

Cycling in Los Angeles

So, as mentioned a couple of weeks back, I recently visited Los Angeles briefly on my return from Washington DC. Instead of the usual rapid stopover at the airport, I took the opportunity for a 24-hour stay to have …

Sign up for the Aotearoa Bike Challenge

As summer hots up (we hope…), we head towards that time of the year when cycling is celebrated across New Zealand. In the past, it was BikeWise that promoted Go By Bike Day and BikeWise Month during February; …

Book Review: The Bike and Beyond

The Bike and Beyond: Life on Two Wheels in Aotearoa New Zealand

by Laura Williamson (104pp., Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, RRP $14.99 e-book $4.99)

I recently waded my way through David Byrne’s intriguing but dense travelogue Bicycle Diaries – …

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 …