News

It's so cold the gears need defrosting, roads are like ice rinks and helmets are strapped over full-face balaclavas.

But the mayor of the favourite city for cycling in the United States says if Minneapolis can achieve what it has, there's no reason Melbourne and other Australian cities can't follow.

Almost halfway across a country famed for its car culture and with a climate to test the bravest – think snow ploughs and Fargo – Minneapolis doesn't strike as one where commuters would prefer the saddle over the car heater.

But its ranking as the best biking...

Chicago would have 3,000 bicycles to rent from 300 stations by next summer — with no charge for the first 30 minutes — under an ambitious plan in the works aimed at making cycling a “new transit system.”

Former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s dream of creating a Paris-style bike rental program in Chicago is about to take off, with the city issuing a “request for proposals” (RFP) for a grand plan bigger than Daley envisioned.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his handpicked Transportation Commissioner...

Bicycling greenways — networks of residential roads that are outfitted with speed bumps, landscaped curbs that make portions of a street narrower, or stop signs to give cyclists and pedestrians priority over cars — have become a political selling point for Proposition 1.

For several years, Seattle has painted bicycle lanes or icons on nearly all major streets, in hopes of encouraging people to ride.

Cycling has increased, but a lot of people remain ambivalent, including Jennifer Litowski of Ballard. She's comfortable riding some of the less-busy arterials. But when her 5...

Coastal Path Use

The 7km coastal walkway, from the Port to the Waiwhakaiho River mouth, was formally opened by New Plymouth District Council in December 2003.

The 3km coastal walkway extension, from the Waiwhakaiho River mouth to Bell Block, was opened in December 2010.

The coastal walkway is very popular with the public and is enjoyed by large numbers of pedestrians, cyclists and other users. For example, nearly 30,000 people used it at Te Henui and Te Rewa Rewa bridges during each of the summer months.

Being such an important rates-funded community asset, a review...

This year the post CAN Do bike ride took two days (31 October - 1 November) from Nelson to Picton, stopping at Pelorus Bridge, overnighting in Havelock and heading into Picton on the gorgeous Queen Charlotte Drive.

Day 1: Distance 75 km, ice-creams at Hira, then some climbing, over the Whangamoa Saddle (357 m) and Rai Saddle (247 m).  Lunch at Collins Valley then afternoon tea stop at Pelorus Bridge,  where there is a cafe and gorgeous bush walks.  We stayed the night in Havelock (Rutherford House YHA hostel).

Day 2: Distance 35 km, relatively...

The humble bicycle, for decades the workhorse of the Communist proletariat, is this year's surprise fashion accessory in China.

The rivers of cyclists that used to flow through Chinese cities, all mounted on sturdy Flying Pigeon bikes and wearing monochrome Mao suits, have long dried up.

Instead, for two decades China has been a nation of drivers, embracing the car the point of gridlock and even outlawing bicycles from key thoroughfares in Shanghai.

But for a new generation of Chinese, inspired by the West and Japan, the bicycle is once again...

Links from the CAN Do, CAN's annual get-together, now available. The weekend includes our AGM, workshops, training, rides, plenty of food and drink and a chance to catch up with fellow "CANners" from around New Zealand.
Dates: Saturday 29 - Sunday 30 October 2011

Registrations are now closed.

Venue: Auckland Point School, 111 Haven Road, Nelson.
 
Numbers expected: 20-30. 

Notes from the sessions are available here, or...

Regular giving helps CAN keep the spotlight on Cycling

At CAN we're united by our love of cycling and all the benefits it brings: to our health, wallets, wellbeing, family and friends, community, and our environment. CAN is committed to a broad vision:

To promote the benefits of everyday cycling: cost savings, better health, less congestion, cleaner air, reduced reliance on imported fuel, and a better quality of life.

More than ever, the tight economic environment opens the door to develop affordable, sustainable, and healthy transport opportunities throughout New...

The public will be asked their opinion on this in September, when the Council considers whether Coastal Pathway or another name is more appropriate for the award-winning shared-use route.

"There have been questions from users about whether walkers or cyclists have more rights on the Coastal Walkway, when the answer is that all users are equal," says Acting General Manager Community Assets Mark Bruhn.

See full news release from  the NPDC at:

http://www.newplymouthnz.com/CouncilDocuments/NewsReleases/NewNamePropos...