1. Traffic: From 1950 to 1970, the U.S. automobile population grew four times faster than the human
population. As a result, we Americans spent nearly 500,000 years stuck in traffic in 2007 - nearly 4.2
billion hours.
2. Cars Kill Children: The leading cause of death for children aged 5 to 14 in New York City is
pedestrian automobile accidents.
3. Cars Kill Animals: Automobiles, SUVs, trucks, and other fossil field-burning vehicles kill a million
wild animals per week in the U.S. - not counting tens of thousands of family pets.
4. Sprawl...
News
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Mar
Mar
4
Mar
Mar
"Bike On NZ" Hastings Commuter Cycle Challenge
Feb/March 2010
Tukituki MP for the National Party, Craig Foss and Bike Hawke’s Bay Cycling Development Officer Vicki Butterworth want to get more Hawke’s Bay people using bikes to ride to work. The challenge has been set!
• BREAKFAST! On your way to work cycle to the Business of the Day to pick up your breakfast and register with Vicki for the daily prize. The “Business of the Day” will supply breakfast on their chosen day from 7am -8.30am. This is not a cooked breakfast! It will be something easy for a cyclist to...
4
Mar
Mar
Scotland has one of the highest levels of obesity in OECD countries with over a million adults and over 150,000 children obese. This is predicted to worsen with adult obesity levels reaching over 40% by 2030. Overweight and obesity brings with it a risk of disease and a cost to society that will directly impact on our ability to achieve sustainable economic growth. This situation is avoidable.
As the majority of the population in Scotland are overweight, they may require up to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity every day in order to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. To make...
3
Mar
Mar
Walk2Work Day is part of a Living Streets campaign that aims to encourage people to walk more in their daily lives. It is a free event held before work in a location close to the main walking routes, targeting people who have walked all or part of the way to work.
The campaign aims:
- To encourage more people to walk to work and encourage active healthy lifestyles for all New Zealanders.
- To raise the profile of walking as a as an essential mode of transport.
- To decrease road congestion by reducing the...
3
Mar
Mar
The Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) and BikeNZ welcome the commitment by the government to improve the safety of cyclists on our roads with the announcement of ‘Safer Journeys’, New Zealand’s 10-year road safety strategy.
“Safer speeds, safer roads, action on raising driving standards and educating school children will benefit the more than 1.2 million New Zealanders who ride bikes”, says Cycling Advocates’ Network (CAN) Chair, Bevan Woodward.
However, Mr Woodward warns “New Zealand has a long way to go. Currently, the roading...
3
Mar
Mar
New Zealand's idiosyncratic give-way road rules are set to change.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce has this morning unveiled the Government's Safer Journeys 10-year road safety strategy.
In a speech at parliament, Mr Joyce confirmed a package of measures to tackle teen drivers. The package will go to Cabinet this month. It includes:
* Raising the driving age from 15 to 16;
* Requiring novice drivers to have 120 hours' supervised practice before driving alone;
* Introducing a zero drink-drive limit for drivers under 20;
* Better education;
* An...
3
Mar
Mar
Safer Journeys is a strategy to guide improvements in road safety over the period 2010–2020. The long term goal for road safety in New Zealand is set out in its vision:
"A safe road system increasingly free of death and serious injury"
Download it at http://www.transport.govt.nz/saferjourneys/Pages/default.aspx
This vision recognises that while we could never prevent all road crashes from happening, we could ultimately stop many of them resulting in death and serious injury. It also broadens our focus beyond preventing deaths to also preventing serious injuries.
...
2
Mar
Mar
Prominent Auckland architects, Copeland Associates, are about to start work on design concepts for the Auckland Harbour Bridge Pathway. We'd like your input, please take the short survey here:
http://survey.usuite.com/survey/7c130cf3178940d2a8421693b340d7f5.sur
Other news:
We're forming a Pathway Steering Group to meet monthly and oversee the delivery of the project.
We continue to meet fortnightly with NZTA regarding the Pathway.
We're working to a deadline of the Rugby World Cup - next year!
All the best,
Andy Smith
andysmith@...
1
Mar
Mar
The Nelson Tasman Active Transport Forum is a multi-party forum for those within the region who have an interest in the development and promotion of active transport.
The forum was set up to encourage information sharing and cross-sector action in Nelson/Tasman between agencies with an interest in Active Transport, including representatives from such sectors as education, environment, health and disability, recreation, sport, tourism, transport and local and national government.
The Nelson Tasman forum meets...
1
Mar
Mar
CAN has produced a guide for instructors. You can download it from the bottom of this page.
It includes lesson plans, road layout diagrams, and how to set up a training course.
Course Summary
On successful completion of this course the trainees will have completed the NZ Cycle Skills Training Guidelines Grade One and Two outcomes.
Following is a summary of the exercises contained in the course.
Session 1: Bike, helmet, clothing check. Brakes, starting and stopping, shoulder check, gears, slalom, emergency stop and signalling.
Session 2...
1
Mar
Mar
With fuel costs soaring and environmental conservation in vogue, the bicycle is making a comeback in many cities, becoming a major part of urban transportation plans.
Men's website AskMen.com has come up with a list of the world's top most bicycle-friendly cities. Reuters has not endorsed this list:
1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam's comes top when it comes to bicycle-friendly cities and nearly 40 percent of all commutes in Amsterdam are done by bicycle.Public bikes are available to rent and plans to construct a massive bike parking structure...
1
Mar
Mar
If you are going to have a lawn, TreeHugger Mike recommends a reel (or push) mower. (But then, he is an addict) If you are going to have a really big lawn, talk to Ted Wojcik. He built this mower, seen at the North American Handmade Show. He normally builds more conventional bikes at Ted Wojcik Custom Bicycles in New Hampshire.
According to his website,
After more than 25 years of designing and manufacturing bicycle frames, Ted is revered as one of the masters of the trade. His bicycles have won medals at USCF championships, NORBA events, Tour Du Pont, the Pan-Am Games,...
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Feb
Feb
Photos from Art Deco weekend in Napier Feb 2010. View more Bike Chic at Flickr here
25
Feb
Feb
For details and event programme, please see event lisiting on this page. Jess at Sport BoP is looking for a few expereinced cyclists to help teach basic bike handling and some on road safety (in off road, mock situations) at hte Childrens day in the Redwoods on sunday 7 March. Please consider coming along to help and also please pass on to anyone you think may be interested in volunteering.
cheers
25
Feb
Feb
Although the city already had a private bike-sharing program, the government of the Mexican capital has recently launched the official Ecobici. The initial phase includes 85 stations across the city and over 1,000 bikes. It was about time the city launched this program, which was announced a while ago but took much public work to improve bike infrastructure.
Since last February 17, the system is up and running. Its goal is to reduce the number of vehicles that go through the city everyday (over 5 million), while recovering public space, reducing pollution, and improving life...
24
Feb
Feb
Please support the Council's proposal to improve cyclist safety on Thorndon Quay. Make a submission - it only takes a couple of minutes.
BackgroundOver the past 10 years, the average number of commuter cyclists on Thorndon Quay has increased from 75 to 300 per hour during peak hours. The average reported crashes between cycles and vehicles have also increased from one to six per year, making Thorndon Quay one of the most dangerous roads in Wellington for cyclists.
Most cycle / vehicle crashes occur in the southbound direction between 7.00am to 9.00am, usually resulting from...
24
Feb
Feb
NEW VENUE - Mon Ami cafe, 8 Bond Street
6 - 7.30pm
Agenda
Go By Bike Day
Love to Roll
Greater Wellington Bikeability workshops
Thorndon Quay Wellington City Council is proposing parking changes on Thorndon Quay to improve safety for cyclists.
Bikes on Trains
Basin Reserve
CAW website
update from CAN
workshop for bus drivers
22
Feb
Feb
A Hastings man has given 62 new bicycles to a local school to get children back on bikes.
Paul McArdle has also given St Mary's Primary School 225 helmets, four bike tracks, a bike shed and an elite cyclist to coach the youngsters.
It is a package worth about $75,000, mostly from his own pocket.
Today (19 Feb 2010) at St Mary's, Prime Minister John Key will introduce Mr McArdle's Bikes in the School initiative, which aims to give every primary school pupil access to a bicycle and track.
St Mary's principal Liz Crowley said the scheme had been...
22
Feb
Feb
Includes recommendations by Jan Gehl, which were:
Create a cycle policy, setting out goals to be achievedCreate a strategy for a gradual development of cycle facilitiesCreate a coherent cycle network of good, connected routesCreate safe, raised cycle lanes, separated from traffic by kerbsRun campaigns to encourage cycling and to create greater awareness about cyclists in traffic – critical massProvide clear markings at intersectionsProvide cycle signals at intersectionsEstablish good and convenient bicycle parking facilitiesOffer up-hill cycle transport by public transportLink city...22
Feb
Feb
The New Zealand Transport Agency is to be asked to investigate making high-visibility vests and brightly coloured helmets compulsory for cyclists as a result of the death of a Dunedin man who was struck by a vehicle on State Highway 1 near Allanton last year.
Otago-Southland region coroner David Crerar will also recommend the agency investigate making the use of headlights compulsory at all times for vehicles on the open road, to make them as visible as possible to other road users.
Mr Crerar said he would make the recommendations in his final...