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 …
Tag: Travel behaviour
Flashback Friday: What are your current Chch cycle safety concerns?
This week I’m helping to teach a road safety course at Canterbury University. Road safety was also one of the considerations by City Council when determining this week which local transport projects might get the chop as a result of …
Flashback Friday: Isabelle (necessary on a bicycle?)
I was showing someone around the city’s cycleways yesterday, always a fun exercise. There were a few busy sections where pedestrians and riders were mingling together and we had to slowly weave our way through. My colleague was probably better …
Flashback Friday – Mythbusting: What a Safe Passing Rule Means
It was eight years ago now since I was involved in the national Cycle Safety Panel that made various recommendations to government, including a number of Rule and policy changes. One of them that got a bit of attention was …
Flashback Friday: Another look at Auckland: Shared Paths
Another week, another out-of-town trip limiting my spare hours… This time, the work topic vexing my mind is shared paths (or not shared paths). We’ve touched on the question before and it’s an area of evolving best practice in New …
Flashback Friday: Can shared paths work?
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This week a notable event in active mode guidance occurred with the launch of Waka Kotahi NZTA’s Pedestrian Network Guidance (PNG). This updates best practice advice (at least 12 years old in most cases) for planning/design for walking in NZ. …
Flashback Friday: Perceived Danger or Actual Danger?
Just the other day I saw another comment on social media by a Chch local stating how cycling in the city is very scary and puts them off. It’s a common enough reaction I see (even more so after the …
Chch Airport bike parking
I recently had occasion to take an early flight from Christchurch – too early for my usual “bike and bus” combo. So I decided to bike the whole way for once; a reasonable trek from the south side of …
Flashback Friday: How should we tackle Cycle Safety in NZ?
It’s been a tough past month safety-wise for cycling, with the tragic death of two people cycling, one in Auckland then one in Christchurch. That still only takes the total of cycle fatalities for the year to 4, but …
Support and use of cycling remains high in Christchurch
Once a year, Christchurch City Council undertake a Residents’ Survey where they seek feedback on what people think about a wide range of Council services, e.g. roading, rubbish, water. This year’s results are now out and, while the headline focus…
Flashback Friday – Handy Tips: Sharing those Pathways
While separated cycleways are certainly nice, often we still have to make use of facilities that are shared with pedestrians and other path users (e-scooters more often than not these days…). Some of the new pathways are definitely much better …
Cycling and the Law: Positioning yourself on the Road
OK, time to consider some of the nitty-gritty in the road rules when you’re riding, particularly when in the vicinity of other road users. We’ve previously covered the various places where you can/can’t ride, but it’s probably on the …
Do closer average passes mean less safe cycling?
A recent news article (and similar variants) has been doing the rounds recently and sparked a lot of social media comment. The article reports on some recent research from Australia that measured the space given by motorists passing people …
Dyers Pass Safety Improvements
I have ridden up Dyers Pass a few times now that the speed limit has been lowered and the double yellow lines painted from Sign of the Takahe up to the Kiwi. My impression is that most cars slow down …
Are Major Cycleways working? First surveys
There’s been a lot of discussion by the public and the media over the past couple of years about the value of the Major Cycle Routes programme. That’s perhaps to be expected; $160-odd million is a lot of money for …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Mythbusting: What a Safe Passing Rule Means
Since the Cycle Safety Panel report came out, there has been a lot of attention focused on one particular recommendation in it – introducing a mandatory minimum lateral clearance distance when passing someone riding a bike. As is often the …