A common factor in just about every transition to a bike-friendly city is advocacy. In Vancouver’s case, that advocacy comes largely in the form of HUB Cycling, a charitable non-profit that works to get more people cycling more often in Metro Vancouver through education, action, and events. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, HUB has over 2,400 members, 11 active committees, and has racked up an impressive list of infrastructure wins. Plus, with Vancouver committing to ambitious cycling targets as part of its Transportation 2040 blueprint, HUB Cycling has the wind behind it. What does it take to create that kind of momentum? Ross Inglis spoke with HUB Project Manager …
Bike Auckland
One of the particular delights of Biketober – the community-created festival of springtime bike fun! – is seeing our Bike Burbs run events in their neighbourhoods and beyond. Below, we highlight a few fabulous examples to show how Auckland’s communities are getting energised around bikes. Check out the full calendar of Biketober events here. Bike Onehunga created two fun weekend rides exploring hidden features of their part of town. First came Paula’s history ride: people came from as far afield as Whangaparaoa to tour the township’s historic buildings and locations – including the spectacular Carnegie Library (now a cafe) and the impressive blockhouse in Jellicoe Park. The following weekend, Mike led an adventure …
Canadian couple Melissa and Chris Bruntlett have carved out a unique position in the conversation around bikes and cities, with their family-friendly focus, clear language, and a clever eye for a persuasive image. Based in Vancouver, their research consultancy Modacity – which grew out of an experiment in ditching the family car in favour of a combo of bikes, car-share, and public transport, and sharing their story with readers – is all about creating catchy and accessible and content for audiences eager to learn about how to bring bike-friendly cities to life. They also get around: the seed of Modacity was nurtured by a 2014 visit to New Zealand; and their 2016 visit …
Bike Breakfasts are an increasingly popular way for Auckland bicycle peeps to kick off the day. Now there’s an option for winding down the day in just the right way: a leisurely ride to the pub for a craft brew with some chums. If that sounds like you, pencil in 5.30pm on the evening of Thursday, 18 October. That’s the first of Bike Auckland’s new Bikes & Beers events, hosted by Brothers Beer at the City Works Depot. We promise convivial company, great beers, and a bonus: a free bike check thanks to Flying Fix Mobile Bicycle Servicing – which will be on site to minister to your treadlie while you minister …
Auckland Transport is proposing a light-controlled pedestrian and bike crossing on Te Atatu Road, to upgrade a dangerous crossing point near where a fatality happened in late 2017. While this would be some improvement on the status quo, does it go far enough in ensuring safety? Not to our eyes. Here’s the project page and here’s the proposed design: AT proposal for Te Atatu Rd signalised mid-block crossing. At the absolute minimum, we would recommend AT retain a central island, narrow the traffic lanes, and add some kind of threshold treatment to reduce the perceived width for drivers here – instead of increasing it by removing the existing island. This …
We featured the wonderfully-named Bike Kumeunity when they first popped up – one of our most far flung Bike Burbs (and also one of our most creative, thanks to a membership overlap with the equally delightfully named Kumeu Knitty). Rolling into spring and summer, they’re looking to invite more locals along for the ride. It’s a great time to get involved: with the SH16 project happening (now includes shared path, thanks to Bike Auckland making the case!) and lots more to come. Here’s what coordinator Christine Rose has to say: Kumeu and districts offer beautiful bike riding opportunities, whether you want to cycle to work, the shop or school, in everyday clothes …
If you frequently cycle along Tamaki Drive you might already have forgotten what we’ve gained as a result of the new-look Ngapipi Road intersection completed in July, and the Quay Street Cycleway extension which opened just last month. A reminder, then. The Quay Street Cycleway, already one of the city’s most popular routes, was extended by 800 metres towards the east, adding a dedicated bi-directional, protected lane from Plumer Street to just short of The Strand. Further along the waterfront, the Ngapipi Road intersection – until recently one of the country’s top 10 crash black spots, got a $9million safety upgrade. It acquired traffic lights, signalised pedestrian/bike crossings (in anticipation …
Or: Herne Bay, a template for safer roads? The 2014 Urban Cycleway Fund (UCF) really kickstarted the process of an increasingly connected-up series of safe cycling routes for Auckland. Even with many routes still not built, there’s been real growth in people making more trips by bike, reflecting what is known as the ‘network effect’. We’ve supported the approach of building from the centre of the city outwards, because the centre of the Auckland Isthmus has the highest potential of people wanting to cycle, and this concentrated effect is needed to overcome the status quo in a way that a more incremental, spread-out process will not. But we also know …
A brand new walking and cycling bridge is appearing this week across the Northern Motorway at Albany, slotting neatly into place – one third at a time – over a series of night works. This is Tirohanga Whanui (the name means ‘A Panoramic View’), which will join Spencer Rd to Corinthian Drive, and reconnect Albany metro with Pinehill and the East Coast Bays. If you’ve driven up that way lately, you’ll have spotted the parts of the new bridge sitting by the side of the motorway like so many giant pieces of highly artistic Lego. Thanks to our friends at the Northern Corridor Improvements team, we can share these dramatic images of …
Many of us have paused along a ride to take a photo and report an issue, or tweet our admiration or frustration. But what if you could instantly record and report your experiences, both positive and negative, with just a click of a button? Sensibel is a clever new piece of kit that lets you give a quick thumbs up – or a thumbs down – as you go, and fill in the details later. The reports are geotagged to location, and can be easily aggregated and anonymised to determine hot spots for fixing and/or check if bike infrastructure is working as planned. Keen to see how it works? Hamish McNair, …
Electric bikes are not only heaps of fun to ride, they have the potential to transform how we commute. Understanding that potential is the job of The Future of the Bike, a collaborative research project that examines how innovations in bicycle technology and city planning can support urban sustainability in New Zealand. The project’s most recent study, Electric City, took a close look at e-bikes in Auckland and just what impact they might have on the city’s transport systems. Ross Inglis asked Research Fellow Dr Kirsty Wild to motor through the study: Bike Auckland: Why the interest in e-bikes? Kirsty: We haven’t had a lot of research in New …
If we had a dollar for every time we’ve been told that removing traffic lanes and car parking to make way for cycle lanes will kill local businesses, we could just about fund the lanes ourselves. It’s a classic barbecue assertion. And, like any other dodgy assertion, it withers in the face of the data. Where to go for that data? One place is Toronto, which studied the economic impact of a protected cycleway in Bloor Street, a major east-west corridor. The Bloor Street story goes back to late ‘70s, when advocates first started lobbying for bike lanes on the street. It wasn’t until 2016 that a pilot lane was …
Rounding out our series of guest posts by Middlemore medics who bike to work is Renate Koops, a consultant in General Medicine and Diabetes. Like her colleagues Rob Burrell and Craig Birch, Renate rides because it comes naturally – she’s Dutch! – and because it’s a refreshing and healthy way to travel. Or rather, it should be. Like Rob and Craig, Renate has more than once felt the unhappy consequences of traveling on roads dominated by cars and designed and used with little thought for people on bikes. Read on for a harrowing account of her run-ins en route to work – and her observations about what needs to change. …
TL:DR: Auckland Transport is proposing upgrades to Glen Eden town centre to make it safer to get around. We love and support the proposed 30kph safer speed limit and traffic calming – but we feel that on other matters, the proposal falls short of what a town centre should be. Read on, below, for our take on what’s proposed, what’s needed, and what we think would help make Glen Eden a better burb for bikes (and everyone) in the long-term. And then have your say on the changes proposed in Glen Eden before consultation closes on Sunday 9 September. (Short on time? scroll down to the end of this blog …
Be one of the first 100 members to sign up or renew with Bike Auckland this month and receive a free ‘Auckland Looks Better on a Bike’ T-shirt (valued at $30), on top of the many great benefits and discounts at 20+ bike shops and other merchants across Auckland – plus discounts and invitations to special members-only events. If you’ve been thinking about taking the step to being a paid member, now’s the time. As the nonprofit organisation working on your behalf for a better city on bikes, we’re powered by members, volunteers, and donations. The momentum for a bikeable Auckland is growing – and the more of us there are, the stronger our …
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