the reference to "Bexley" in the submission should be to "Bromley".

Hi Matt If you are going to use slides you will have to drastically cut the amount of text - there is a lot more than 15 minutes here. In support of "if you build it they will come" it would probably be worth referencing the "Making Cycling irrestistible" paper, which demonstrates that increasing cycling numbers (from the European experience) requires multiple, integrated approaches. Cheers Rob

http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf

Slide 1 Introduction

Thank you for the opportunity to present to you today onbehalf of Spokes.

If you build it, they will come

This is the theme of our presentation today. We’d like toemphasise the power of Transit to influence demand, weather it be for drivingand parking cars and trucks, or walking and riding bikes.

SpokesCanterbury is a local cycling advocacy group affiliated with the nationalCycling Advocate’s Network (CAN). Spokes is dedicated to including cycling asan everyday form of transport. This is not just a desirable goal of the 900 orso Spokes members. We see the encourangement of active transport as imperativeto achieving sustainable, efficient and safe mobility – the very goals ofTransit itself. We recognise that for this to happen, the appropriate planningneeds to take place at both the local and regional level. Hence we’re pleasedto have this opportunity to suggest some improvements to your plan forCanterbury.

Based onour theme, I’ll talk this morning about

1. What Transit wants to build
2. Our reaction to Transit’s emphasis on sustainability in the Canterbury region as outlined in the draft programme
3. Some specific projects and ‘pinch points’ mentioned in our submission
4. Some ideas about why and how to make cycling irresistable

Slide 2

Taking astep back, I had a look at Transit’s website to find out where Transit isheaded, and what needs to be built to get there.

Transit'svision is:

"a transport system that builds abetter New Zealand."

The overallbelief is, if the correct transport system is built, a ‘better’ New Zealandwill come. Obviously whatever constitutes the system and “better” are open tointerpretation.

Thestatutory objective gives us a few more clues

Transit'sstatutory objective is:

To operate the state highway system in a way that contributes to anintegrated, safe, responsive, and sustainable land transport system

This soundsgood and we very much hope that Transit will respond to our submission and develop amore sustainablesystem by conintinuing to  integrate safe cycling facilities into all roading projects.

Nationalwalking and cycling strategy:

more people choosing to walk and cycle more often

Lookingelsewhere for Transit’s stated direction, Spokes would also like to applaud therecognitition that Transit gives to its own role in helping deliver thegovernment’s national walking and cycling strategy. This strategy, that Transitsupports in its Planning Policy Manual, incorporates the goal of ‘morepeople choosing to walk and cycle more often’.

From thesepieces of evidence, we conclude that Tranist is indeed supportive of designingfor cycling as a means of safe and sustainable mobility.

Slide 3

Havingestablished that Transit believes in cycling, we’re eager to see the details ofthis commitment. Unfortunately it is very unapparent from the forecast level offunding for walking and cycling over the next 10 years, increasing from only$5m to $7m, against a more than doubling of funding for new, large projectswhich we can only assume will be focused largely on the passage of privatemotor vehicles. We also note that ‘Walking and Cycling’ only just makes it tothe very last place at priority level 6 in the list of State Highway Activitiesfor 2008/09.

Focusing onCanterbury, Spokes is very pleased to see “Christchurch City Safe CyclingFacilities’ appear on the small to medium projects programme. Unfortunately, wedon’t know what this means. We therefore request that Transit expands on thisto identify specific facilities planned for Christchurch. Additionally, we’dlike to offer our support, experience and motivation to help establish thesefacilities. As an advocacy group with skilled professionals and cyclingenthusiasts, we are willing and able to provide Transit with workable ideas forsuch ‘safe cycling facilities’.

Furthermore,I would like to suggest that Transit has missed an opportunity to address theirstated priority of ‘environmental sustainability’ in relation to cycling andwalking, attributing only the benefit of ‘public health’ to this category. Wefeel that the worthy priority of sustainability is only given tokenconsideration by way of potential air quality improvements as a result ofreducing traffic delays. The opportunity to build for and hence encouragecycling is a far superior way to achieve truly sustainable transport solutionsin and around large centres such as Christchurch.

Our messageis, design and build for sustainable transport, and it will come.

Slide 4 Bouquets

Picking up on some specific points concerning oursubmission, I’d like to start with recognition of positive work done, or beingdone.

• Opawa Rd - Port Hills Road – great improvement of what was there

• Tender for cycle facilities on SH1 Carmen Rd, SH73A Sockburn roundabout, and SH74 Port Hills interchange

We’re excited to see continued progress in these areas.

Slide 5Opportunities 

Now I’d like to take the opportunity to expand on a few ofthe priorities noted in our submission.

Going North

SH74 Marshland Rd roundabout

This is a scary place, but it’s a classic ‘pinch point’.Facilities along QE II drive are actually quite good, with an off road pathparrel to the busy road. However this particular intersection will now be muchbusier with Bunnings Warehouse and other shops opening just south of theroundabout. We urge Transit to work with the City Council to provide a safemethod of negotiating this intersection by foot and by bike.

A little further north – getting across the Waimakariri isvery scary:

This highlights a common problem in a number of verypopular cycling routes around Christchurch, where there is simply nowhere forcars and trucks to share the road with bikes. In this case, it’s fairly commonfor cars, trucks and busses to que behind bikes crossing a long section of 80km/hr bridge, or risk dangerous over taking manoeuvres.

Main North Road Bus Priority Lane

Spokes would like to commend both Transit and ChristchurchCity Council in their actions to facilitate greater priority for publictransport. But we have some major concerns over the technical details ofproposed 3m wide, temporary bus lanes.

The preferred width for a bus lane is 4.2m. This allows thesafe passage of a bus past someone on a bike. In a temporary lane, it alsoallows enough room between the ‘door opening zone’ and fast moving traffic inthe lane.

A shared (bus/bike) lane of 3.2 m (or less) is adequatebecause it’s obvious in this situation that there’s not enough room for a busto pass a bike, and therefore, generally won’t try. However, this width is toonarrow to allow parking as it creates a highly dangerous overlap between movingbikes and opening car doors.

This..

Could lead to this…

There are some good examples of permanent, well marked lanesin Christchurch

Spokes endorses the CCC Parking Strategy, which placessafety measures and cycle facilities among the priorities for the allocation ofroad space, with commuter parking coming a distance last.

Weather you build car parking or cycle facilities, demandwill come. We therefore ask that where space does not allow for both, build acycle lane, not car parks.

Going East

I’d justlike to point out a correction in the part of our submission concerning DyersRoad. The area stated in the suburb of Bexley is actually very good, with offroad and in some cases, on road facilities too, and good bike specific signals.However, it’s the area further to the south in Bromely that now stands out as ahighly dangerous pinch point.

These images were taken just yesterday.

South

Continuing around now to the south.

Lyttelton Tunnel

Lyttelton tunnelis a major impediment for both recreational and commuter cycling, and is likelyto remain so not withstanding the introduction of bike racks on buses, becauseof their limited capacity.  New approaches, such as the introduction of aregular bike shuttle through the tunnel, are required.

Slide 6 Other comments

Get on Your Bike!

We’d like to encourage Transit staff to consider makingobservations by bike; to hear, see and feel the road, don’t just monitor itfrom inside a car. This has been done successfully both here and overseas.Spokes would be happy to provide more information about some of the researchand monitoring that’s been done using this type of method.

Slide 7 Making Cycling Irresistible

Before closing, I’d like to suggest some recommendedreading.

Recommended reading:

http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/irresistible.pdf

This paper presents findings from research into why cyclingis a mainstream and normal way of getting around in many affluent,technologically advanced countries such the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.It contrasts this with places such as the UK and US where, like here, cyclingcan be very resistible. Most importantly it describes the technical differencesbetween the two.

The mainrecommendations of the document are:

Extensivesystems of separate cycling facilities

• Well maintained, fully integrated paths, lanes and special bicycle streets in cities and surrounding regions
• Fully coordinated system of color coded directional signs for bicyclists
• Off-street short-cuts, such as mid-block connections, and passages through dead ends for cars

Intersectionmodifications and priority traffic signals

• Advanced cyclist waiting positions (ahead of cars) fed by special bike lanes facilitate safer and quicker crossings and turns
• Cyclist short cuts to make right-hand turns before intersections and exemption from red traffic signals at
• T-intersections, thus increasing cyclist speed and safety
• Intersection modifications and priority traffic signals
• Advance green lights for cyclists at most intersections
• Bike paths turn into brightly colored bike lanes when crossing intersections
• Traffic signals are synchronized at cyclist speeds assuring consecutive green lights for cyclists (green wave)
• Bollards with flashing lights along bike routes signal cyclists the right speed to reach the next intersection at a green light

Other

Other measures that we hope could be incorporated into the“Christchurch City SafeCycling Facilities” include:

• Traffic calming
• Bike parking
• Coordination with public transport
• Traffic education and training
• Taffic laws

Summary

• More details on Christchurch City Safe Cycling Facilities
• Cycling facilities on major urban arterial routes. Having a lane there really helps. Having clear making and boxes to wait in at intersection really helps.
• Major pinch points can effect the good work for the other 95% of a route, e.g. QEII Drive and Marshland’s Rd roundabout, narrow bridges.
• Bus lanes. At best, make them wide and permanent. At least, make them narrow and permanent.

Hi Robin/Nigel
I can't open the Spokes Transit Submission. Can you please check it out for me.
Thanks Fiona