Spokes September 2009 Newsletter

Spokes Newsletter September 2009  

The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man.  Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish.  Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.  ~Iris Murdoch  

 Safer Journeys 10 Year Safety Plan      You have an opportunity to help make roads safer for all of us. The central government has offered a number of safety initiatives to lessen the carnage on our roadways. Unfortunately the focus is a business as usual approach catering primarily to cars and trucks.  

Some positive notes are the call for reduced speed limits, recognition that most urban arterials are mixed use and changing the law to grant pedestrians first priority under the give way rules. There is much more.  

Submissions are due by 2 October. For more information go to: http://www.transport.govt.nz/saferjourneys/Documents/SaferJourneysfull_web.pdfAn online submission process is at: www.saferjourneys.govt.nz  Where you can also find a somewhat cumbersome and limited online ranking option. And check the attachment to this newsletter which offers notes on the plan. A draft submission will be up in a week or so.   

Stop lights and Signs as give waysT      he Idaho U.S. Stop Law provides for cyclists to give way instead of stopping, at an intersection or stop sign, if traffic allows. A study the year after enactment found bicycle injuries dropped 14.5%. Perhaps common sense and personal responsibility actually works?   

Frocks on Bikes      Don’t forget to put on your best clothes, or mufti, and show up at Victoria Square on Saturday 24 October 2 PM.  Too many non cyclists are put off by the belief that one must spend thousands and wear lycra to ride a bike. There will be displays including utility bikes and even a bike give away. A fun family event allowing us to prove that one can wear formal, and fun, dress while on a bike.   

Neighbourhood Week      The Council provides resources and limited financial support to local groups, and even individuals, who would like to get to know their neighbours. This year the week will be 31 October to 8 November. A neighbourhood bike ride anyone? More at: http://www.ccc.govt.nz/programmes/NeighbourhoodWeek/   

Celebrate Car Free Day      Celebrate Car Free Day at Te Whare Roimata Community Centre, corner of Worchester and Stanmore, and see the popular Triplets of Belleville movie. 5.30pm soup & bread for dinner6pm Movie showing of the triplets of Belleville (family friendly)This is a satirical cartoon feature film of the Tour de France cycle race. See what happens when the mafia get involved! This 2003 film got 2 Academy Award Nominations - Best Animated Feature Film and Best Song "Belleville Rendez-vous".  

Auto Holics      Do you have a loved one who has succumbed to the seemingly warm embrace of their car? Do they drive to the gym, insist on driving the kids to school? Then this is the place for them: http://www.autoholics.org/ A light hearted but serious site to help people kick the habit.   

New Cyclist Help      A free approach to moving away from car dependency. ACC sponsors a web site offering information on buying a bike, nutrition, exercises, riding, etc. Go to http://www.activesmart.co.nz/   

Have you tried out the New Bus Bike Racks yet?

Bus routes currently fitted with bike racks:

·         35 Lyttelton

·         All Northern Star routes – 90, 92, 912 and 913

The following bus routes will commence 2 November 2009 with new timetables and bike racks fitted to all buses:

·         77 Kennedy’s Bush

• 11 Styx Mill-Westmorland
• 14 Harewood-Dyers Pass
• 15 Bishopdale-Beckenham
• 3 Airport-Sumner
• 21 Ilam-Mt Pleasant
• 28 Lyttelton and Rapaki
• 35 Riccarton-Heathcote·        
• 18 St Albans-Huntsbury

http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/bikeRacks_Main.html
 

Benefits and Safety of Cycling      People who cycle regularly live longer and the benefits of physical activity overwhelmingly outweigh the risks posed by traffic accidents. Moreover, Australian and international evidence demonstrates that as the number of cyclists increases, so too does the level of safety.

A study by the British Medical Association found the health risks of inactivity, such as diabetes and obesity to be 20 times greater than the health risks posed by a potential accident. Regular exercise increases blood flow around our brain and body which increases the effect of good nutrition. Exercise provides benefits on so many fronts, that making it a part of a daily routine is one of life's best investments.

Cycling is safer then many believe. Statistics show that fewer cyclists per 100,000 participants are hospitalised then participants in Netball or Basketball.   

Cycling is Quick and Cheap      Transport costs represent 16% of total household expenditure. The operating cost of a medium sized car is around $180 per week or 62 cents per km. The operating costs of a bicycle suitable for commuting and city riding are minimal and bike parking is free. In Melbourne, the average speed of a commuting car is 19.7km/h1. A bicyclist can comfortably average 17km/h, with many experienced cyclists travelling above 20km/h. For more on both of the above go to: http://www.cyclingpromotion.com.au/    

Cycling Maintenance is Free?      Free bike maintenance workshop & fun day. Saturday November 7^th 11am-3pm at the Linwood community art gallery, cnr Worchester St & Stanmore Rd. Any volunteers to help oil chains, pump tyres & adjust brakes would be very welcome. Contact Jenny 3795134.  

Hazard & Accident Reporting      Christchurch City Council provides online incident reporting. Please use it to report incidents and/or areas in need of safety improvements. This is especially important if we are ever to have poorly engineered roading infrastructure redone properly. Report road hazards, potholes, uneven pavement, obstructions in bike lanes, or other issues. Go to:http://www.ccc.govt.nz/cycling/cyclesafely/collisionreport.asp  The police also maintain an online road watch reporting service. Did you get the registration of that vehicle which endangered your life? Whether you wish to simply report it, or to seek a prosecution, go here:http://www.police.govt.nz/service/road/roadwatch.html   

Treasure Hunting      Looking for a family activity that will get your family out riding bicycles together? Christchurch is full of treasure that you and your kids can hunt for, while getting some fun and exercise at the same time. Two similar hobbies, Letterboxing and Geocaching, give you the clues to where treasure "boxes" or "caches" are hidden, many of them an easy cycle ride away. 

With Letterboxing, you do not need any special equipment, except (sometimes) a compass. The clues go all the way from straightforward directions to puzzles you must solve to find the location of the "letterbox". You can find the clues online at http://www.letterboxing.org or http://www.atlasquest.com. Once you find the box, you "collect" the image of a rubber stamp that is hidden inside it (but leave the stamp for the next finder), and sign in with the image of a "signature" rubber stamp that identifies you. 

With Geocaching, the clues are GPS coordinates, so you typically need a GPS device to participate. You can find the clues online at http://www.geocaching.com. Using the GPS coordinates, you find a hidden "cache" that contains one or more trinkets. You exchange a similarly-valued trinket that you bring with you for one of the trinkets in the cache, and, as with letterboxing, sign in to a logbook hidden in the cache. 

Both these hobbies are not limited to Christchurch: you can find letterboxes and geocaches all around the world. While on holiday, they provide a wonderful introduction to special places that you might not otherwise discover as a tourist.  

Cycling Full Circle      While one of our Core members was cycle touring on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido earlier this year he had the pleasure to meet a lady named Astrid Domingo Molyneux. What is unusual about Astrid is she is on a 2 year solo, unsupported and self-funded round the world bike ride. What is more unusual is this intrepid 50 something English woman is remaining firmly on the surface by taking ships rather than aeroplanes for the bits across water.  

Catch up with her adventures on her Thorn Raven Tour (using a Rohloff 7 speed internal hub) bike at her website http://www.cyclingfullcircle.com and if you're feeling generous, make a donation to the causes she supports - The Leprosy Mission and the Deaf Studies Trust.   

Consequences of Car Dependency      Some highlights from: DIRTY FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE A report from the respected Environment and Forecasting Institute in Heidelberg, Germany paints a grim picture.

Each car produced in Germany creates 25,000 kg of waste and 422 million cubic metres of polluted air in the extraction of raw materials alone. Getting the materials to the factories produces a further 425 million cubic metres of polluted air and 12 litres of crude oil in the oceans of the world (for each car). The production of the car itself adds a further 1,500 kg of waste and 75 million cubic metres of polluted air.

Based upon a medium-sized car equipped with a three-way catalytic converter driven for 13,000 km a year and burning 10 litres unleaded petrol for every 100 km, in 10 years the car adds:
44.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide; 4.8 kg of sulphur dioxide; 46.8 kg of nitrogen dioxide; 325 kg of carbon monoxide; 36 kg of hydrocarbons to the atmosphere. Resulting in acid rain killing 3 and injuring 30 trees.

Disposal of the vehicle produces a further 102 million cubic metres of polluted air and quantities of PCBs and hydrocarbons.

Then there are the accidents:
Every 450 cars are responsible for one fatality;
Every 100 cars are responsible for one handicapped person;
Every 7 cars are responsible for one injured person.

Reference: Oeko-bilanz eines autolebens. Umwelt-und Prognose-Institut Heidelberg. Landstrasse 118a, D-69121,

Support for Tertiary Cycling      The University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada is committed to supporting cycling. In addition to providing a comprehensive bicycle network they also provide an on campus bicycle workshop with tools and friendly staff for quick do it yourself repairs and maintenance. Anyone at Canterbury, CPIT or Lincoln concerned with sustainability and meeting student’s needs take note. http://alumni.uwaterloo.ca/alumni/e-newsletter/2009/aug/bike_repairs.html