“Government must help to eliminate cars so that bicycles can help to eliminate government.”  Slogan from Holland

 Sunday Leisure Ride 7 March

The following letter has been received requesting help with the Selwyn Mayoral Challenge....

Dear Friends of the Christchurch-Little River Railtrail,

On Sunday, 7th March, the 2010 Mayoral Challenge will be held on the Prebbleton-Lincoln section of the Railtrail. At the end of the ride, participants will be able to enjoy the many activities associated with the Lincoln Fire Brigade=B4s Open Day and Children's Day.

Can you please help to make this another great family cycling event by volunteering your time on the day (approximately 10:00am to 12:00 noon) to help with the following:

- marshalling along the route (5 required),

- handing out tickets (2 required) or

- handing food to participants (2 required).

If you are keen to volunteer or would like more information please email

railtrail [at] littleriverrailtrail [dot] co [dot] nz. 

Information about meeting places and times will be sent out to interested people.

Please note that all volunteers on the day will be treated to a free lunch in the upstairs lounge of the Lincoln Fire Station!

Kind regards,
The Railtrail Trust

Spokes Newsletter    February 2010 Issue 

There's been a rather brief article on Wikipedia about Spokes for a wee while now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spokes_Canterbury

Some Wikipedia administrator has recently tagged this page as not demonstrating notability. This might result in the page being deleted. We don't want this, do we?

You can help with this. Go to the talk page of the article, as there are some ideas and instructions about what to do: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Spokes_Canterbury And then start adding to that article. Do it today - it's a rainy day anyway.

Please find below a media release by NZ Transport Agency regarding the new road code for cyclists......

20 January 2010

New Zealand road code for cyclists now available      

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has launched a new and completely free resource to help cyclists keep safe on the roads.

The official New Zealand code for cyclists can be downloaded free from the NZTA website at http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/index.html. Like the road codes for motorists (also available on-line), the new code for cyclists is a user-friendly guide to New Zealand’s traffic law as it relates to cyclists and also includes lots of useful information on safe cycling practices.

The code will be particularly useful for people who are just learning about cycling on the road or those teaching someone else to ride. The NZTA is also encouraging more experienced cyclists to take advantage of the new resource to brush up on their knowledge of the road rules and safe cycling practices.

The new code includes sections on:

·    Learning to cycle
·    Road rules
·    Signs
·    Tips for cycling defensively
·    How to do ‘hook turns’ and use roundabouts
·    Checking and maintaining your bike.

NZTA National Manager Road User Behaviour Michael Cummins says the number of cyclists on our roads is increasing, so it’s vital they understand the rules that apply to them and learn how to share the road safely with other vehicles.

“The new code will be a useful resource for those already cycling, as well as for parents and caregivers teaching their children to ride a bike,” Mr Cummins said.

The official code for cyclists is part of a new suite of resources developed by the NZTA to improve cycle safety. These include new cyclist training guidelines available on-line at www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/cyclist-skills-training-guide and a national cyclist skills training qualification for bicycle instructors, currently under development.

For more information please contact:

Andy Knackstedt               
Media Manager - New Zealand Transport Agency      
T. 04 894 6285               
M. 021 276 3222  
E. andrew [dot] knackstedt [at] nzta [dot] govt [dot] nz