Off-Road Cycleways
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Build it and they will come! Off-road cycleways ay 2009 M ssue 2, I 2009 CHAINLINKS ISSUE 2, May 2009 MAGAZINE OF THE CYCLING ADVOCATES NETWORK (NZ) on (new) State Highways, and at the Join us in November Editorial cost of the sustainable transport budg- Glen Koorey, CAN Co-Chair ets. It would be nice if they spent the extra money retrofitting the existing in New Plymouth: With the economy turning belly-up, state highways to work better for cy- there has been a lot of focus recently cling before they start to add any new Conference & CANDo on investment in more infrastructure highways (or more lanes). to help keep things afloat. Some of this It’s not all bad; as a road safety spe- seems well overdue; I don’t think any cialist, I am always happy with more of us would mind a bit more high- investment in improving our very speed internet. But when it comes to average safety record on the roads. But transport infrastructure, it’s amazing it always seems that “congestion re- how often calls for more “transport” duction” gets about ten times as much investment actually seem to mean expenditure as road safety works, even only more roads (if you’re lucky, public though road crashes cause a greater transport might also get a mention). economic cost to this country than A few examples: In the programme for congestion in the main centres. Next issue 26 September the recent NZ “Fast-tracking National It is curious too that the Government Infrastructure” summit, rail gets one should go for more road construc- Articles by 5 Aug. mention and walking/cycling none. tion as a way to generate more jobs. Local group content 2 Sept. The NZ Council for Infrastructure Analysis elsewhere has shown that Development recently produced a 185 public transport produces more jobs page report on NZ’s Transport Infra- per dollar invested than anything the structure Needs to 2025, of which only road industry does. And we also know about five paragraphs discussed walk- that, compared with roading projects, CAN: Cycling Advocates Network ing and cycling to any degree of detail. PO Box 6491, Wellesley St, a far greater proportion of investment Auckland, New Zealand. Is it because cycleways don’t cost in walking and cycling facilities goes Tel 04 972 2552 anywhere near as much as motorways, on labour than construction materi- [email protected] therefore they’re not really “impor- als. And I haven’t even started on the www.can.org.nz tant” enough to count as infrastruc- national balance of payments, thanks ture? I would have thought that, as a to importing all that motor transport Chainlinks more inexpensive way to effectively fuel... ISSN 1175-9364 (print) address congestion and safety issues, And then, along comes a national ISSN 1174-3409 (online) cycling provision makes good eco- cycleway... to say this was a bolt out of [email protected] nomic sense. the blue would be an understatement. Editor: Miriam Richardson Still, it is perhaps not surprising that A Government prepared to invest a Contributions manager: the new Government has recently seen big dollop of money on a “grand plan” Stephen Wood fit to massively increase the spending for cycling? When continues p4 Next Quarterly Issue: September Articles by 5/8, local group Letters to the editor content by 2/9. Email content to: I would like to raise the question: Why • Fewer accidents, injuries and [email protected] is increasing the legal driving age not deaths, and: Pictures: 1024 x 768 pixels preferred part of CAN’s nine point plan? • A national saving in the cost of Advertising: [email protected] Our low legal driving age is, in my rehabilitation, lost work hours and opinion, the single most important material damage. Webpage factor why so few people are cycling in In fact, increasing the legal driving age can.org.nz/chainlinks New Zealand. is not only the single most impor- tant factor to increase the number of The views expressed in The advantages of an increased legal cyclists, it also does not cost anything Chainlinks are not necessarily driving age are so many that it is hard but would actually save this country those of CAN. for me to understand why it is still 15. hundreds of millions of dollars each Cover photo: The Otago Rail Some of the effects of a higher legal year. driving age would be: Trail ©2009 Stephen Wood Is there a better time than today to • Fewer motor vehicles — and more make this no 1 of CAN’s then 10 point cyclists on the road, plan? • Improvement in public health, Johan Groeneveld, Whakatane 2 Chainlinks 2, May 2009 Chainlinks 2, May 2009 3 Join us in November Contents Freeway Zero and the 2 Editorial in New Plymouth: 3 Freeway Zero and the National Cycleway Conference & CANDo 4 Government news National Cycleway 5 Otago Rail Trail Robert Ibell saying that it makes good economic 5 Build it and they will come! sense (http://tr.im/kpv8). 6 International snippets Well before the National Cycleway hit 7 New Zealand roundup CAN has since joined the National the headlines in February, work on a 8 Health & Active Transport Cycleway Advisory Group, a coalition national cycle network had already be- Alliance gun; for CAN, Living Streets Aotearoa of expert, influential groups that in- 8 Transport research and the Hikurangi Foundation had cludes also Cycle Touring Operators of 8 City Cycling, book review been discussing it since late 2008. New Zealand, BikeNZ, Living Streets Inspired by the success of a similar Aotearoa, Quality Tourism Develop- 9 The first golden age of cycling network in the UK, we provisionally ment, Mike Barnett Associates, ViaS- 11 CAN staff do the business Next issue 26 September called it Freeway Zero. Inspired trada, the Kennett Brothers and 11 CAN’s new vests the Hikurangi Foundation. 12 The 7th NZ Cycling Articles by 5 . Trustees of the Hikurangi by the success of a Aug The Advisory Group be- Conference Foundation agreed to fund Local group content 2 Sept. similar network in lieves a national cycleway 12 CAN news and profile the project’s first year. We the UK, will benefit New Zealand 13 CAN visits the home of CAM were preparing to appoint a and is working to bring it 13 Cycle Friendly Awards board when the govern- we provisionally about. ment’s Jobs Summit in Auck- 13 Glass is A*%&!!! land serendipitously produced called it The Advisory Group has 15 Regional group news the idea of a tourist cycleway Freeway Zero provided ideas and route 17 Join CAN the length of New Zealand. suggestions to the Minis- 19 2009 Dates try of Tourism. CAN’s contribution 19 On the web At that point the Freeway Zero Steer- included: ing Committee made the decision to throw its support behind the national • providing calculations of cycleway QUESTION TIME IN THE HOUSE usage; cycleway concept and wait to see what “…has [the Government] given longer-term role Freeway Zero could • circulating a paper by Glen Koorey; consideration, given its disinvest- play, if any. • providing advice from Bike Taupo ment in rail, to turning the railway system in New Zealand into a cycle Freeway Zero continues to be very on construction and management; track so that everyone can join in? “ supportive of the national cycleway • suggesting routes (with the help of Hon Jim Anderton, 3 March and is actively involved in helping to CAN members and groups). bring it about, as they see it as a very “What I can say is that anyone The Advisory Group has prepared A who is engaged in tourism will good first step towards a nationwide potential vision for a national cycle- understand the importance of network of cycling routes, some of way; http://tr.im/kpvD [CAN] the environment when it comes which can be used for walking. to New Zealand and promoting Advisory Group members sent cop- It’s clear that some of Freeway Zero’s it. I think all New Zealanders do, ies of Millennium Miles, the story of and they take pride that we are an objectives for its first year will be the enormously popular UK National environmentally friendly country achieved through the national cy- Cycle Network, to Prime Minister that wants to preserve our environ- cleway project. We’re now assessing John Key, Infrastructure Minister Bill ment. That is one of the reasons whether there’s a need for an organisa- English and Transport Minister Steven the Minister of Tourism is very keen tion like Freeway Zero that continues Joyce. See http://tr.im/kpvJ [Scoop]. on a cycleway from Kaitāia to Bluff.” to work towards the longer-term and Hon John Key [the Minister of Tour- wider goal of a comprehensive na- CAN is keen to see New Zealand de- sim], 4 March velop a comprehensive national cycling tional network. “What items on the list of things and walking network that Kiwis can be So Freeway Zero may yet live on. the Government has made its high- proud of, and pleased to see the Na- er priorities in Government will n In the meantime, CAN has been ac- tional Cycleway project progressing. do the most to reduce the impact tively involved in helping to progress To find out more or to offer ideas of global recession: bringing back the National Cycleway. On 26 Febru- and support, contact CAN Co-Chairs knighthoods, a national cycleway, ary, the day the Jobs Summit in Auck- Axel Wilke and Glen Koorey, or privatising prisons?” Hon Jim Anderton.