Having, a while ago, rediscovered the online presence of CAA in its early days, we thought we would occasionally look back and see what happened 10 years ago…
A few selected bits and pieces from CAA’s August-September newsletter 2003:
Regional bike map update
Auckland Regional Council produced a bike map (the ‘Bike Guide for the Auckland Region’) in 2001. Stocks are beginning to run low, so they are taking the opportunity to give the existing map an update and a re-think. CAA members have expressed a number of concerns about the map – the confusing colour codes, the lack of detail resulting from trying to fit the whole region on one map, the almost empty mountain biking map on the back – not to mention the overall message given by a cycle map that carefully marks in all the hospitals.
CAA has recently been involved in consultation for the map revision, and made these concerns clear, as well as making various suggestions for improvement. We hope to see a better version of the map available soon.
Well, at that is one area where things have gotten a lot better. We have much clearer, more detailed and readable maps now, and the location maps concentrate on showing places like bike shops, not hospitals.
Bikes and Trains
Trains have been in the limelight lately, or at least train stations, with the long-awaited opening of Britomart. Setting aside, for now, the unfortunate fact that the train services themselves are still somewhere in the Third World (late at best and nothing on Sundays), most people have found Britomart pretty impressive – unless you happen to need a bike locker.
Despite CAA members being involved in lengthy consultation over train station design over the last year, bike lockers were apparently axed from the final design to cut costs. (How many hundred million did the thing cost again?) Some of the Auckland City staff are no happier about this than we are – so a retrofit may still be on the cards.
Apart from that, we’ve recently had reports of cyclists having increasing trouble getting onto trains. Tranz Metro’s stubborn refusal to provide any dedicated space for bikes on the trains has resulted in ongoing conflict between cyclists and pedestrians as they all try to fit onto overcrowded peak-hour services. In theory this situation should be sorted out with the introduction of new rolling stock, which is supposed to have dedicated bike space. However, we’re not holding our breath, and in the meantime CAA will be approaching Tranz Metro and ARC about the problem.
Well, THAT took a while, but we are finally sorting out the bike parking at train stations issue, and our new electric trains will have at least some bike space in the carriages (though the peak-hour “bikes or more people” question may forever go unresolved to full satisfaction). CAA is invited to the unveiling of the new trains – happening today, by pure chance – so we will report back on how things look inside for cyclists!
