Cycling in Nantes and #VeloCity2015 Conference

After the highs of a month in the Netherlands, I still had another month to check out some of the “lesser lights” of European cycling (which, compared with New Zealand, invariably still means better than most of us…). …

What can Christchurch learn from The Netherlands?

Having had a month ranging far and wide around The Netherlands (and a month since to reflect), I think I’m starting to see some common trends emerging in terms of what makes the Dutch get on their bikes so much …

Enschede – a pioneer for cycling

My final Dutch city report is about the place where I was based throughout my time in The Netherlands (I just took day trips by train to visit the other centres). Enschede (pop. 150,000) is near the eastern border of …

Groningen and Zwolle – the best for cycling?

My final visits in The Netherlands were to two more northerly cities. Groningen (pop. 200,000) is often considered by many to be the best cycling city in The Netherlands with over half of all vehicle journeys made by bike (unfortunately

Arnhem and Nijmegen – Twin Cycling Cities

My Dutch cycling adventures continued with a visit to see two cities that are only ~18km apart and working hard to improve their cycling provision even further (do they ever stop…?). Arnhem and Nijmegen both have about 150,000 people …

Münster – Germany does Cycling too

While I was in the Netherlands I was based very close to the border with Germany. So it was an easy train ride to hop over one day and visit the German city of Münster, just 60km away. Why Münster? …

Cycling in Amsterdam – does it live up to the hype?

Five years ago, I visited Copenhagen for the first time and was blown away by the sheer numbers of people cycling. It was truly awe-inspiring to stand by a busy central city street and just watch the thousands of riders …

Cycling in Houten – a triumph in Planning

When providing for cycling, it’s easy to get hung up on the various design details in how to build best-practice cycling routes. As I showed you in my previous post about Utrecht, the Dutch certainly have many very good …

Cycling in Utrecht

Well my time in The Netherlands is nearly over, so I guess I should actually tell you about some of the interesting things I’ve seen. It’s been a struggle to find the time because I’ve actually been visiting many different …

Reflections on a Month in the UK

My time in the UK during my sabbatical has now come to an end and I’ve moved on to the Netherlands (more on that in the future!). I’ve provided a few thoughts and photos on London and Bristol specifically …

Cycling in Bristol – more photos

There was so much to look at during three weeks visiting Bristol. So here are a few more interesting things biking-wise seen around the city:

What do you think we could also do like this back in Christchurch?

Cycling in Bristol

Well after spending three weeks in Bristol, UK, my time is nearly up. I came to spend time with some colleagues who also do quite a lot of work on sustainable transport issues like cycling, so it’s not surprising that …

Cycling in London – More Pictures

There was plenty of cycle-friendly infrastructure to see even in my limited time around London. So here are a few extra pics of some of the more interesting sights (click to enlarge them):

Next stop: Bristol!

Could some

Study Abroad – First Stop: London

Greetings from the UK! It’s been three days since I touched down in London for the start of a three month sabbatical (study leave) in Europe. As well as meeting up with various colleagues and working on a few papers …

Last stop Boston – and Reflections on US Cycling

It’s been a week now since I got back from my trip to the US. My last destination was Boston, Massachusetts, on the NE coast (and I’m so glad I got out of there before this week’s fun…). …

Interesting cycle stuff from New York

My travels to the US have just finished, but let’s go back to where I spent last weekend – in New York. The same magazine that rated Washington DC in the top five best cycle-friendly US cities had (somewhat controversially) …

Interesting cycle stuff from Washington DC

Greetings from the chilly US! The reason for the gap since my last post is because I’ve been in Washington DC for the Transportation Research Board’s Annual Meeting. You may recall from my last visit here that this is …

Highlights from #2walkandcycle Conference Nelson

Well I’m a few days back from Nelson, where an action-packed 2WALKandCYCLE Conference kept ~190 delegates engaged for three days last week. The term “action packed” might not sound right in the same sentence as “conference”, but it seems an …

Guest Post Part 7 – Cycling in London

Guest blogger Robert wraps up his travels around the world with a look at one of the great cities of the world:

Since London probably needs little introduction, let’s start with a “What if…” question.

What if Boris Johnson had …

Guest Post Part 3 – Cycling in Madrid

This week, our roving guest blogger Robert has got himself to Spain’s capital city:

Madrid is located in the centre of Spain at an altitude of approximately 650m.  The central area undulates gently in a manner that could be compared …