Cycling in Christchurch is all about regular people riding bicycles. But some of the many people who help make Christchurch a great place for cycling are anything but ordinary cyclists. Dave Johnson, RAD Bikes’ mechanics teacher and workshop manager, …
Tag: Cycle skills & training
In the spotlight: Lois Hill and Bike Bridge
Many of us take riding a bicycle for granted. Often, it’s a skill we learn as children and provides our first real taste of freedom to get ourselves around – wherever and whenever we like. And even if we later …
Flashback Friday: Big Bike Film Night 2019
Tonight is the second Christchurch screening of the 2024 Big Bike Film Night; I’m looking forward to seeing what is on offer this year. Unfortunately, if you haven’t got tickets yet for it you’re out of luck as it’s …
Flashback Friday – Hidden Treasures: Knights Stream cycle skills park
It’s school holiday time again, a good chance for families with youngsters to get out and do a few fun things. For those who are fans of cycling, there are a growing array of family-friendly cycleways around the city to …
Flashback Friday: Cycling in the Wind
This past week has been notable for quite a few decent breezes in Christchurch (and a week ago in Wellington there was also a pretty strong northerly while riding around). Even as I write this, I can hear the wind …
In the spotlight: Meg Christie, getting communities cycling
Meg Christie is an active transport health promoter for Canterbury’s community public health service. Her job is about finding ways to make it easier for people to walk and cycle places. This involves influencing public policy (for example, by making …
Flashback Friday: Are new cycleways OK for existing cyclists?
I had an interesting conversation earlier this week with a reporter, talking about how people are getting used to using our cycleways as they get ever busy, including lots of passing each other and queuing at intersections. It’s a nice …
Flashback Friday: Passing in cycleways
I was having an online discussion recently about the pros and cons of having a cycle lane on the traffic side of parked cars versus the alternative of simply swapping them over so that the (now protected) cycle lane is …
New Chch 2023 Cycle Map Now Available
One of the recent little promotional initiatives that quietly popped up during Biketober was the latest release of Christchurch City Council’s Bike Map. Roughly 2 years since its last update, the newest version boasts info about some of the …
Avoiding the perils of tram tracks
Nearly two weeks ago, my partner’s exciting foray into cycle commuting to work came to a crashing halt thanks to a run-in with a tram track in the central city. It wasn’t even on her normal commute, but a side …
Confessions of a Newbie Cycle Commuter from Jafa-land
What’s it like to take up cycling to work when you’ve never done it before? That was the interesting test when my partner Tracey landed a new job at Christchurch Main Hospital and decided that commuting there by bike was …
Have your Say: Westburn Reserve Learn-To-Ride Track Renewal
As mentioned the other day, the celebrated Westburn Reserve junior bike park is planned to have a much-needed overhaul of its cycling circuit and associated play equipment and other facilities. Consultation is currently open and you have until Mon …
Flashback Friday – Cycling and the Law: Where can you Ride your Bike?
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As we roll out more cycleways and other facilities around the city, it’s probably timely to remind everyone where you can and can’t bike and the Road Rules around them. Mind you, that could all change before we know it; …
Guest Post: Dogs on bicycles
No, we’re not talking about some clever circus trick; here is a very practical guest post from Douglas Horrell about the interesting question of how to bring your favourite furry friend along for a ride on your bike…
This is …
Flashback Friday: Bus-Bike Workshop a Success
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Mixing with heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses while biking can be a daunting prospect to say the least. As was evidenced by the controversy just last week about a close-passing truck in Wellington, we still have some …
Flashback Friday – Book Review: Easy Rider, A Kiwi’s Guide to Cycling
The days are getting shorter and cooler, so maybe you don’t feel quite so keen to get out on your bike over the winter months (although we do have advice for those who do want to cycle in the cold…
Flashback Friday – Defensive cycling: Looking left
It’s never too late to learn a few more tips and tricks for getting around on your bike safely. Here’s some useful thoughts from Chrys about some defensive cycling practices, first posted in Dec 2014…
I’ve been cycling around …
Flashback Friday: Trucks and Bikes – Learning how to Share
Last Tuesday, the final Biketober Tuesday seminar saw a panel discussion about safety issues between bikes and trucks. It was a very useful conversation about the progress that has been made (or not) in this area, and it highlighted how …
Biketober Chch 2021 is here!
With all the drama of a wee Covid lockdown to enthral us the past couple of months, you could be forgiven for overlooking the fact that the month of October has nearly crept up on us and that means… Biketober…
Flashback Friday: Top Tips for Starting Bike Commuting
Sometimes at Cycling in Chch we post about issues that are topical at the time, and sometimes we just like to put up “timeless” pieces that are just hopefully useful advice any time. This one (originally from Sep 2014) …