Chainlinks It is all happening in New Plymouth — join us at the CAN Do the conference and on the road! CHAINLINKS 2009 Issue 3, October 2009 October 3, Issue 2009 CHAINLINKS ISSUE 3, October 2009 MAGAZINE OF THE CYCLING ADVOCATES NETWORK (NZ) For this reason, we hope that many CAN Editorial supporters will get to this year’s NZ Cy- Chainlinks 12 December cling Conference and CAN Do work- The Power of the Bunch shop in New Plymouth in November ( ). Chainlinks workers are going to the The conference theme is ‘communities, cycling conference and the CAN Do, The Tour de France has rolled past again; connections and the economy’. Meeting so the next issue is being prepared in and while people focus on the Contadors, people and attending the presentations two bursts, and therefore with strange Schlecks and Armstrongs, the riders will extend your connections so you can deadlines. But it will be a wonderful themselves acknowledge the teams that help your community and the economy and interesting issue, so bear with us! work for them. Any road cyclist appreci- even better. Similarly, if last year’s CAN ates the power of the bunch, where riders Do is anything to go by, you’ll be re- take turns leading while others draft energised and better informed. That’s the behind. And when you get home from Cycling advocacy works the same power of the Conference, remember way, because it’s largely a vol- collaboration — the ‘Network’ part of CAN. Articles by 14 October unteer effort. Although CAN is We’re just a phone call, blessed with fantastic staff, they working together email or web-posting away. Local group content : 14 October can do only so much. We need If you have a problem, with ‘stop press’ items: by to make the sign road Taranaki many people to work together, chances are that someone Sat, 21 Nov, 5pm. taking their turns on various tasks job easier for in CAN has met a similar one Conference articles: for the betterment of cycling. If we everyone and can point you towards an Sat, 21 Nov, 5pm don’t spread the load — and take answer. Spend your time riding occasional breaks — burnout results. on wheels rather than reinvent- If you want to review and discuss ing them. any editing done on your submis- So, when compiling CAN’s Annual Re- sions you need to be available port, it was heartening to see the great That’s the power of collaboration — Sun 22 Nov, 1–5pm. work being done around the country. A working together to make the job easier notable feature of this year’s report (p12) for everyone. A case in point: the CAN is the huge amount of activity among lo- Executive wrote this editorial collabora- cal groups, particularly compared with tively, with input from our staff and office last year. CAN’s networking efforts are holders, using our website tools. Many paying off: we’re empowering groups to hands make light work! n CAN: Cycling Advocates Network talk to their local agencies, to make sub- PO Box 6491, Wellesley St, missions, to run promotions and to raise Auckland, New Zealand. the profile of cycling. Tel 04 972 2552 [email protected] www.can.org.nz Conference + CAN Do + cycling in Taranaki Registered Charity no.: CC36909 Two local riders have described for us rides we can do before, during or after the Chainlinks Conference and CAN DO in New Plymouth in November. ISSN 1175-9364 (print) Both Alan Chapman’s road rides, below, ISSN 1174-3409 (online) and Graeme Lindup’s MTB rides will be of this circuit was used as the National [email protected] available as a pdf we can print and bring Road championship course. Editor: Miriam Richardson with us to New Plymouth. Contributions manager: NP Inglewoood Tarata Waitara (may include Stephen Wood Bertrand Road Bridge). This ride features Road Bike Rides Taranaki the gas & condensate fields Mckee & Alan Chapman Mangahewa operated by Todd En- Next Quarterly Issue: December ergy, a tunnel and historic Kaimata and Contributions articles 14 Oct, OUT EAST Tarata. There are no shops between In- Email content to: NP Inglewood SH3a Block — 40 km Loop glewood and Waitara. This is a favourite [email protected] ride starting on SH3, past Egmont Village ride and highly recommended. Pictures: 1024 x 768 pixels preferred and the road up to North Egmont. SH3a Advertising: [email protected] NP Inglewood Tarata Purangi Saddle to end takes you from Inglewood out to the coast, of seal and return via Waitara — a wonder- rejoining SH3 to return to New Plymouth via ful ride in the the isolated and undulating Webpage Bell Block. terrain between Tarata and Purangi Saddles, can.org.nz/chainlinks NP Inglewood Pukerangiora Hill, via Ev- an out and back route to the Purangi Sad- The views expressed in Chainlinks are erett Road NP — 70 km Ride from New dle. I ride this starting from Inglewood and not necessarily those of CAN. Plymouth on SH3 to Inglewood, then return to Inglewood, a thoroughly enjoy- a loop through some typical Taranaki able distance of about 70 km. Cover photo: Helm Art, New countryside — flat, rolling and hilly. Part Plymouth, ©2009 New Plymouth p8 District Council. 2 Chainlinks 3, October 2009 Contents 2 Editorial Great Urban Rides for Auckland: 2 Road rides in Taranaki 3 Great urban rides for Auckland an imaginative proposal 3 Bikes on public transport 4 Government news A proposal to transform Auckland 5 Forgotten Highway into a cycle-friendly city 6 International snippets 6 Re-cycling cities Pippa Coom and Julian Hulls From Liveable Arterials Plan 7 New Zealand roundup Cycle Action Auckland and Nextbikes Tourists will take tours or rent bikes to 7 Cyclists get serious about think so, and have developed a pro- explore on their own. climate change posal to transform Auckland into a 8 Cycling Conference 2009 With the maturing of the Auckland cycle cycle-friendly city. Their idea would network, upgrades and more cycle lanes 9 CAN Do 2009 create an asset for tourists and will appear. Eventually, Great Urban 9 Riding to New Plymouth Aucklanders, complementing the re- Rides will have supporting infrastructure 11 Riding the talk: Hugh Wilson gional Great Rides that have captured such as racks, lockers and public toilets. 12 CAN Networking Project the Kiwi imagination. Can ‘Great’ and Cycle Action Auckland and 12/13 CAN news & contacts In the proposal, Auckland’s Nextbikes have submitted 13 Being cycle aware Great Rides will provide ways ‘Ride’ be linked the concept to the Ministry 13 Hinewai and carbon credits to explore Auckland’s culture, with cycling in of Tourism, and are looking 15 New Plymouth cycle promotion history and entertainment by to Auckland City Council to 16 Regional group news riding from the central city. Auckland? develop it with some of the 17 Join CAN Kelly Tarlton’s, the museum, the Ministry’s $50 million for Great 19 Flashing signs to protect cyclists zoo and Ponsonby Road will welcome Rides. Soon, Aucklanders could be using cycling visitors. Carefully chosen routes Great Urban Rides and recommending 19 On the web will introduce tourists gently to New Zea- them to visitors. n land cycling before they head off on other Great Rides. The new rides will meet local needs Bikes on public transport in Wellington too, taking advantage of Auckland’s long gentle ridges and coastline. Three Wellington’s public transport will only folding bikes, so Wellington commuters compact, circular Great Urban Rides are be bike-friendly to a degree, but the will soon be poring over the Brompton already part of the proposed Regional Regional Council has left the door and Birdy catalogues! Cycle Network, connecting with schools, open for improvements. In July, Wellington Regional Council’s shops, universities, libraries, the CBD and Transport and Access Committee consid- the hospital. Many other routes can be The region’s public transport is excellent, ered a report that recommended no bikes developed, for example to the airport or but tricky to use in conjunction with cy- on buses (arguing that a survey showed around Project Twin Streams in Wait- cling. Wellington buses can’t take bikes, no demand), but said that free carriage of akere City. and the introduction of free bikes on trains has been a mixed blessing because bikes on trains should continue. Cycling Stage One of the proposal can be com- guards enforce a limit of two bikes per unit. Aware Wellington’s Alastair Smith told plete within six months. Logos and the Committee that overseas transport Hope is on the horizon, in the shape of direction arrows will identify the routes, services are less rigid about bikes, and the new Matangi train units to be intro- which will also be available online and as that fears of danger are unfounded. He duced in 2010. They’ll have space for two printed maps. Each ride will be named; said San Francisco’s BART service carries bikes in a double unit, or six if operators for example ‘Ponsonby Heritage Ride’ or bikes in train carriages with no special allow use of wheelchair space. That’s the ‘Waitemata Harbour Ride’. The most dan- provision, and that out of 500 million good news. gerous roads and intersections will have journeys over five years BART reported cycle lanes. A simple, cost-effective and The bad news is the probability that pas- only six incidents involving bikes. flexible rollout will quickly attract many sengers will get priority over bikes, and Councillor Paul Bruce argued for allow- users without large capital cost.