But we thought it would be good to confirm to you that we have been extraordinarily busy – and by far not only with the current topics like fielding media questions, and working for better cycle conditions on Tamaki Drive.

Among the things that have kept CAA members busy in the last months were:

• Discussing cycling designs for the Albany Highway, Panmure town centre, Tiverton-Wolverton and Dominion Road routes – including the provision of alternate cycle routes, where Auckland Transport does not consider cycleways feasible on some sections of the later two routes (not uncontroversial for CAA – but we believe that it is our task to get the best results we can realistically get, rather than refuse to work on such cases at all)
• Helping organise the TelstraClear Challenge over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Busway, complete with a Community Bike Fair!
• Assisting Cycle Action Waiheke with technical advice and support during their negotiations about new roadworks and cycle facilities
• Congratulating NZTA on becoming a corporate member (!) of Cycle Action. We still have our occasional disagreements, but the times of “being strangers” are hopefully gone forever
• Helping organise bunch riding skills for sports cyclists and cycle training workshops for bus drivers, to encourage better behaviour among all road users
• Providing cyclist advice on slightly more unusual projects like cycle push ramps for the stair sets in the Governor Fitzroy Plaza revamp, Fuller’s (Waiheke) “bikes on buses” project (which started off highly successful, with additional racks ordered within days of the trial scheme having being started), or the “Art by Bike” event
• Providing a homestay for (and profiting from being able to have some great chats with) Roger Geller, the famed Portland, USA, bicycle coordinator
• Organising a strategy hui, to provide our hard-working committee members the mental space to think more strategically, instead of only about current projects
• Attending the upcoming Walking and Cycling Conference in Hastings, to discuss recent and coming projects with other cycle advocates and cycling-related Council and NZTA staff
• Advising a law student about possible dissertation / research topics regarding laws that could protect cyclists better from harassment
• Attending the stakeholder groups for the Waterview Connection project, with, of course, a particular eye on progressing the Waterview Cycleway
• Advocating to ensure our new electric trains will provide for bicycle carriage
• Progressively updating Auckland’s cycling user maps, and assisting with updates for the planning maps for new cycle infrastructure

As you can see, we are hard at work – and every day, we see the results rolling along on the street. It’s still a hard fight at times, but there’s lots to smile about too.

Saturday, 3 March 2012, Noon till 5pm
Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter

A unique and free festival that showcases local fashion designers matched with the timeless elegance of bicycles.
~ Try out the smoothest bikes in town
~ Cycle fashion shows for a variety of ages and styles
~ Clothing stalls and bike maintenance checks on-site

This free event is presented by Frocks on Bikes and Cycle Action Auckland in association with Auckland Transport

Help spread the word – invite your friends on Facebook

Tamaki Drive – 20m from another hell. Comment from Callum Mc Nair, CEO of the TelstraClear Challenge – Auckland Harbour Bridge event. 

The court case to prosecute the motorist involved in Jane Bishop’s tragic death under a truck on Tamaki Drive in November 2010, ended with the charges against the driver being dismissed. Jane was killed at a notorious pinchpoint on a tight bend on the road, crushed under the wheels of a passing truck. The truck was in peak hour evening traffic, travelling at about 5kmh. I have the greatest sympathy for the many people affected by her death, including the truck driver, the motorist, their families,  Jane Bishop’s family / friends, and the investigating police / authorities.

Whilst, thankfully, such grave consequences are rare, the “opportunity” for such tragedies are not. They are currently an everyday probability. I am a huge advocate for cycling, and not because I like wearing lycra. Cycling has many social, health, mental, environmental and economic benefits – and great fun. In promoting cycling as one of my favourite pastimes and as an alternative to using my car for transport, I find myself in turmoil, as I know there are dangers in taking to our roads.

There will always be ‘accidents’ but this was a crash that should not have occurred. Jane usually rode on the shared path beside the road, but the Court was told that the path beside the crash site is very narrow, and was full of pedestrians at the time of the crash. The pinchpoint where Jane was killed is created by roadsite carparking on the on the headland by Kelly Tarltons. These parking spaces were known to be extremely hazardous by Auckland City Council, because they were highlighted in a report commissioned by the Council from Cycle Action Auckland in 2006. The report asked for urgent action to remove the carparks. The Council ignored this advice – and took no action.

Auckland Transport removed a few of the pinchpoint carparks 2 days after the fatal crash.More parking spaces need to be removed for the safety of cyclists riding this headland section of Tamaki Drive. The Police Officer reporting to the court yesterday on Jane’s death commented “ The pinch point lane was 3.6m wide at the point of the crash. The situation was “pretty dangerous” but was not unique. To me, it would appear to a large extent that they have moved the situation 20m down the road.

20m down the Road the same tragedy awaits – today, this morning, right now!!

And this is not an isolated “pinch point”. There are many more throughout the City; they are black spots for cyclists. Some have already been identified by Cycle Action Auckland; and are await a tragedy like this to occur again.

If you know of any, do us all a favour by letting Auckland Transport know about them – today. If you let Cycle Action know as well, they will stay on AT’s case.

Without this collective action and rapid responses from Auckland Transport, another life will be sacrificed – maybe 20m away

Glenn Becker was the car driver involved in Jane Bishop’s fatal crash in peak hour traffic on Tamaki Drive at 6.15pm at the end of a hot sunny day, on 17 November 2010. He was charged with careless use of a motor vehicle after he parked his car and opened his door shortly before cyclist, Jane Bishop, was crushed under a truck which was passing Glenn’s car at the time.

Judge Gittos dismissed the charge in the Auckland District Court last Wednesday, after a hearing lasting 2 and a half days. The decision has been widely reported in the all of the media. I attended the hearing as Spokesperson and Chair of Cycle Action Auckland, and was asked to comment on the Judge’s decision by TV 1 and TV 3, the Dominion Post and ‘Stuff’ outside the Court.  In the subsequent 24 hours I responded to 10 other interview requests from print, radio and TV reporters.

Having attended the Court hearing, my key observations are -

• The Judge was correct to dismiss the charge,
• Glenn, the truck driver, the other witnesses and the friends, family members of these people and Jane Bishop have been through hell, and deserve our support.
• The Court case did not set out to find the cause of the Jane’s death. It simply had to rule on whether Glenn had been careless in opening his car door, causing Jane to brake suddenly and fall under the truck.

I regard the cause of the crash to be lethal road design which is particularly hazardous  for cyclists. I refer to the well known cycling pinchpoint on a tight bend extended parking spaces on the Tamaki Drive headland, by Kelly Tarltons. The pinchpoint was created in 2005 by a new raised median and extended roadside parking spaces built by Auckland City Council. In April 2006 Cycle Action Auckland wrote to the Council’s Transport General Manager to report that the combination of the tight bend, raised median, narrow footpath, and extended parking spaces created ‘a very dangerous’ situation for cyclists. The Council could have easily removed the intrusive parking spaces, but it took no action.

I have received a large number of messages from cyclists and motorists who are upset by my comments and approach.  Most of these people are keen to impress with their expert knowledge as cyclists or motorists . Most express sadness/frustration that I failed to criticize Judge Gittos’s decision. Others regard the behaviour of Glenn, the truck driver or Jane to be the cause of the crash.

I lead Cycle Action’s volunteer team which works up to 300 hours per week. Although Cycle Action has no staff, it is known to be effective in delivering innovative and vital cycling safety and promotion projects. Part of our work includes listening and responding to the road -using public, as well as our members.

I accept that all of the parties in this tragedy could have behaved differently. But the essential fact that concerns me is that the road design is at fault. Visibility is extremely poor because of the tight bend and the pinching of the traffic lane between the bus and car parking spaces on the road and the raised median. The hazard is elevated because every day, nose- to -tail, stop/start, traffic has to squeeze through this pinchpoint. This includes buses and trucks, as well as cars and cyclists. Judge Gittos’s decision accepted that the shared footpath is narrow and full of pedestrians at peak hours, with little or no space for cyclists. It is a cyclist’s nightmare.

Some people have told me that Glenn should have looked back over the road continually, (rather than twice), before he eased open his door. Others say he should not have opened his door at all, but used the front passenger’s door. Others say Jane should have not been riding on the left hand side of stalled traffic, and  others say she should have been on the roadside shared path. Another person has taken issue with the fact the truck driver was too far left.

I consider these opinions ignore our right to safe roads, and the responsibility of road authorities to act quickly when serious hazards are identified. For the past year Cycle Action has been working with Auckland Transport (AT) to improve Tamaki Drive, but the gains have been slow, as road funds are too short even to provide for urgent, short term, low- cost quick fixes.  AT is also a new body. Some departments tend to stay in their silos, working to rigid, inadequate road safety budgets and programmes, and fail to consult road user groups adequately before planning road changes.  This bureaucratic approach also delays practical, rapid responses that are needed from time to time for safe road management.ay he should not have opened his door at all, but used the front passenger’s door. Others say Jane should have not been riding on the left hand side of stalled traffic, and  others say she should have been on the roadside shared path. Another person has taken issue with the fact the truck driver was too far left.

 Cycle Action’s 2006 report used the Kelly Tarlton headland pinchpoint to demonstrate  ‘a city wide problem’. The problem remains throughout Auckland. These pinchpoints  hazards will be exposed more often as traffic volumes  increase on our City’s main road corridors.  Cycle Action is committed to working with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport to overcome these, and other systemic flaws, in our road system and culture.

Lets take cycleways seriously

…What emerges clearly from this sorry affair is that the “pinch-point” piece of road where Jane Bishop died was an accident waiting to happen… …there was no margin for the error that, in this case, proved fatal.

…The idea that an audit of such danger spots on popular cycling routes (followed by their immediate improvement) should be simply the first step in setting up a comprehensive system of cycle paths around the isthmus may seem radical to many Aucklanders.

…Cyclists, in particular those who commute, are not obscure oddball hobbyists; they are the trailblazers of a transport future whom we should applaud and accommodate.

…the cycle culture that grew up in the early 20th century, when bikes hugely outnumbered cars, was swept away by a wave of increased car ownership in the prosperous postwar years. It was only furious public pressure after many cyclist deaths, and then the 70s spikes in oil prices, that forced the wholesale building of wide, isolated cycleways [in countries like the Netherlands].

It is well past time that we followed the Dutch example. It does not require great capital investment, just the appropriation of some existing carriageway, making dual-lane roads single-lane and cutting back roadside parking.

Cycle Action has long called for this kind of attitude. We are working hard to encourage Council to push forward with creating a Tamaki Drive – and a Regional Cycle Network – that is safe, consistent and high-quality. In short, a transport environment for cyclists that provides the ‘margin of error’ preventing mistakes from becoming tragedies.

The environment in which we interact is as important as the attitudes of motorists and cyclists. No one involved in the Jane Bishop crash – neither herself, the driver who opened the door, or the truck driver under whose wheels she fell – was on any rampart in any cycle culture war. A better cycle network could have prevented it all, and a better cycle network will yet prevent many future tragedies, if we get together and make it happen.

]]> http://caa.org.nz/general-news/level-headed-responses/feed/ 0 http://caa.org.nz/general-news/summer-cycle-event-guide-is-out/ http://caa.org.nz/general-news/summer-cycle-event-guide-is-out/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:44:53 +0000 MarkR http://caa.org.nz/?p=2462

Summer Cycle Event Guide

New for 2012, Auckland Transport is launching a Summer Cycle Event Guide, packed full of information on cycle events happening in the region during February and March.

The programme has opportunities for everyone, from complete beginners to experienced riders. The guide helps people to find cycling events and activities in their area that will suit their interests.

Some of the key events include the annual Go By Bike Breakfasts being held around Auckland on 15 February, a series of Beginner Bike Sessions and On-Road Cycle Training, Cycle Safety Check Workshops, and a load of family events such as the popular West Bike Fest, the Papakura Cycle Carnival and a new Family Bike Day in the Wynyard Quarter.

The guide also has information on Cycle Style 2012. Frocks on Bikes and Cycle Action Auckland are hosting this unique bike event which will have local fashion designers, bicycle retailers and the best of Auckland street style. There’ll be cycle chic fashion parades, ‘Try my bike’ test rides, and maintenance checks too.

Click here for more information or to download your own copy of the guide.

Within something slightly more than a decade, Portland has now transformed itself to one of the Number 1 cycle cities of the world, with a cycle mode share of over 8%, a vibrant – and very mainstream – cycle culture. It also did so on a shoestring (cycling) budget, showing that key investment into good cycle facilities can be dwarfed by highway budgets, yet still get significant results.

One of the people that shepherded along this transformation was (is) Roger Geller, Portland’s Bicycle Coordinator – cycling’s official champion in Portland. And in two weeks, he will be here in New Zealand, travelling around the country and sharing his experience and advice, and in turn getting our feedback. As he is a great public speaker with a great story to tell, he will be highly in demand. Cycle Action has the honor of hosting Roger at one of our member’s homes, and while he will be rather busy during his two-day stay in Auckland (before continuing on to other areas of the country), we look forward to meeting him in person, and having him on at least a short ride.

If you are also keen on hearing about how a city can turn itself around to become a real cycling mecca, the IPENZ Transportation Group is organising a public event at the Pioneer Women’s Hall (you may have been there before, we hold our big events there) off Freyburg Square.

Transforming Auckland into a cycling-friendly city
- Lessons from Portland, USA

12:30-1:30pm

Thursday 16th February 2012
Pioneer Women’s Hall
Freyburg Square, Auckland CBD

 No RSVP required for CAA friends and members – but the venue is likely to be pretty packed (over a hundred people have already indicated interest for this event), so come early for a good seat, or you may have to stand!

The project, “Around the World by Bicycle” aims to document the different cultures and their way of living experienced by Pablo in his travels.

Recognized by U.N.D.P., The Argentine Ministry of Education and Argentine Sports Secretariat, Mr Garcia has been cycling for the last ten years in 77 countries through South America, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia.

His plan is to cycle from Auckland to East Cape, and by the east coast to Wellington. Then the South Island by the two coasts, arriving back to Auckland by the end of March. He then intends to fly to North America, to cycle back to his home-land in Argentina.

To know more about the project: “Around the world by bicycle” you can visit the websites http://www.theworldbybike.com where you can see international media relations, public opinions, video material, photos and travel commentaries.

He support his trip he is selling a book documenting his travels. Pablo can be contacted via his website.
The photo is in Gobi desert, Mongolia, in 2010

www.theworldbybike.com

www.pedaleandoelglobo.com

The aim is to improve the options for cyclists and many commuters who choose to ride to and from the ferry terminal or who want to explore the island’s many cycle tracks, whilst giving them the flexibility of being able to hop on a bus with their bike in order to venture further, get home after dark when cycling can be hazardous, or in the case of cycling visitors, link up with the 360 Discovery ferry service that calls in at Orapiu Wharf and connects to The Coromandel on a regular basis. The Coromandel shuttle bus service from Hannaford’s Wharf to Coromandel Town now also provides bike rack options meaning cyclists can take their bikes even further.

At the launch at Matiatia today, attended by representatives of Auckland Transport, NZTA, Cycle Action and the Local Board, Fullers CEO Douglas Hudson said “Fullers has been committed to carrying passengers and their bikes on their ferry services for a long time and were awarded for being a cycle friendly business by NZTA at the CAN (Cycling Advocates’ Network)Awards in 2009.

We are very pleased to be able to extend this to the buses on Waiheke Island for the benefit of commuters and tourists who visit the island. This may only be a small step but it has taken a lot of effort to find and import the right racks that are sturdy enough to work effectively on the Waiheke roads. We hope that people will see this as an opportunity to explore more of the island and also connect with the 360 Discovery service that carries passengers from Orapiu at the Eastern end of the island to Coromandel, where the shuttle service from Hannaford’s Wharf to Coromandel town now also has bike racks on board.”

The trial, which will run until the end of Easter, will allow the Fullers owned Waiheke Bus Company to gather data and opinion from users before deciding how to adapt the service and how to develop it further.

Last summer the company worked with Cycle Action Waiheke and Auckland to produce a map of Waiheke cycle touring routes. Publicity about the map has encouraged increasing numbers of cyclists to tour the island, enjoying its cafes, vineyards, beaches and accommodation.

The bike racks are expected to be welcomed by local commuter cyclists and visitors alike. Touring cyclists may be encouraged to ride to the vineyards on the Onetangi Straight or even further afield, rather than stopping at Palm Beach, if they know the bus will help return them and their bike to the ferry or accommodation in Oneroa.

Cycle Action Waiheke supports the trial as an important local transport and tourism initiative for Waiheke. Chair Tony King Turner said “We thank Fullers for taking this step and see it as just the beginning of what could be very exciting developments for cycling on Waiheke. It will also be very important as we work towards our goal of getting Waiheke included in the National Cycle Way program.”

Barbara Cuthbert of Cycle Action Auckland is also impressed with the trial. “..having seen the positive impact that cycling initiatives can have on communities and how it can boost tourism, I am confident that when we look back at this moment in 10 years’ time, we will understand how important this launch and trial is.”

Auckland Transport also strongly supports this initiative and sees it as a good example of the private sector delivering outcomes that encourage integration between cycling and public transport. Such projects link very strongly to the work of Auckland Transport across the region in improving safety for cyclists and encouraging more sustainable travel

The bike racks will be used mostly on the Onetangi bus routes and feedback forms will be available at the Fullers ticket office at Matiatia as well as on the Fullers website.