You are here: > Groups in ENM > Cycle Aware Manawatu > Cycling Information

Cycling Information - Scroll down for information and articles

The latest eCAN newsletter 
                          available on http://www.can.org.nz

Bikewise Week 25 February - 5 March 2006

Saturday 25 February         Sport Manawatu Bikewise launch - at 10am Community event in the
                                             Square - lots of activities for all ages especially children

Saturday 25 February         Circle the City by Cycle - late afternoon - mostly going by waterways
                                             and walkways and picnicking at the Esplanade

Sunday 26 February            Family Bike ride at 1:30pm organised by Manawatu Mountain Bike
                                             Club starting from Miniature Railway Carpark (at the Lido end of the
                                             Esplanade)

Sunday 5th March                Bike ride to  Te Apiti windfarm on starting around 8am

Sunday 5th March                Bikewise Biking Buddy  - 3-5pm CAPN and PNCET are offering a biking
                                             buddy to help any new cyclist get to know the cycling routes around
                                             Palmerston North City. Buddies can meet you at your house or you can
                                             come to the Square at 3pm. Book with Sports Manawatu on phone 3575349
                                             or email CAPN on CAPN@bikerider.com if you would like a different time.

Full details will be in the community newspaper insert and are also on the Sport Manawatu website: www.sportmanawatu.org.nz

If you want to enter in the Bikewise Business Battle you can get all the info from www.bikewisebattle.org.nz 

This year will be the fifth time the Battle has been run and it's set to be bigger and better than ever!  All it takes is getting people at your work to hop on a bike and go for a short ride, wherever they feel comfortable, for a minimum of 2km or 10 minutes. The website has been revamped to make it really easy for everyone to get involved. People can register, update and keep track of their own results on the website, making the process simple and efficient.  This means that you no longer have to collect and send in hard copy forms.

There are three Avanti bikes that will be given away, as well as Ground Effect gear, and heaps of other bike gear and accessories.  These are all spot prizes that anyone who participates can win, no matter what your organisation's final result is.  There are also 20 sumptuous shouts to be won by the organisations that get the highest percentage of staff on a bike (for their business' size category).

Articles published in the Guardian 2005

Relying on Pure Natural Energy

By Todd Simmiss, Cycle Aware Palmerston North - 4 August 2005

Imagine a world where you could combine the saving of the environment with supporting the local economy and community while still maintaining a reasonable standard of living?

This world can exist, and one way in which to achieve it, is to reduce private motor vehicle use- pertinent with the twin global problems of Peak Oil and Climate Change bearing down upon society. While cars themselves are not the main threat, our overuse of them is. We have become far too dependant on motor vehicle transport for getting around town - to the detriment of our health, our pockets, and the environment.

One great way to reduce or eliminate this vehicle use is through walking and cycling - cycling in particular is the most efficient mode of travel around. Often overlooked as part of sustainable transportation, the bike trailer is the key towards a truly car-free lifestyle. Usually considered an element of those dedicated few cyclists, in the face of ever rising fuel prices, this could well change. A bike trailer consists of a simple frame that is attached to the rear of a bicycle, with the goal of being able to transport small to medium sized goods, such as boxes or small furniture. Modern bike trailers are light weight yet pose great strength; one example of this being the delivery of a fridge on a bike trailer!

A great advantage of using a bike trailer is having the satisfaction that you have done all the work under your own strength, instead of the energy from Saudi Arabian oil - Instead of sending money offshore to buy more oil, money can be used in the local economy and community. It saves money, decreases pollution and provides untold health benefits of physical exercise. For some large, unusual or awkward shaped objects, a bike trailer can actually be more practical (and cheaper) to transport than a car. Anything from a lay-z-boy chair to a fridge can be transported- especially easy in a flat and compact city like Palmy! Having the use of a bike trailer is a wonderful thing in the face of rising fuel prices

A bike trailer can either be brought from specialised manufacturers that sell them, or made at home, from a simple store-room trolley. It is important to get safety advice for this either from the Green Bike Trust, phone 354 7520 or members of Cycle Aware Palmerston North, see www.environmentnetwork.org.nz 

Bike Wise Week 2005 in PN February 12-20

By Christine Cheyne, Cycle Aware Palmerston North. February 2005

With Christmas and the recent good weather it seems many more cyclists are out on the streets and off-road paths in the city.  From what I’ve heard lots of people are getting interested in biking as they see others out there enjoying the benefits of cycling, inspired by the success of New Zealand cyclists and triathletes at the Olympics last year.  And it is really very beneficial.  It’s fun (yes, battling the cross wind on the Fitzherbert Bridge can be exhilirating!), it’s healthy, it’s a convenient and cheap means of transport and it’s a great recreational activity.

To encourage more New Zealanders to learn about the benefits and experience the enjoyment of cycling there is a whole week set aside each year at this time, called National Bike Wise Week. The aims of Bike Wise Week are:

1. To encourage people to use their bikes as a means of recreation and transportation.

2. To promote safe cycling. 

3. To encourage active promotion of the Bike Wise messages to children and adults in schools and the communities.

This year it is running between February 12 and 20.  Communities around New Zealand organise their own programme with some nation-wide events like Bike to Work day on Wednesday 16 Feb where in most towns there was a free breakfast provided for those cycling to work.  And there is a national competition for workplaces to tally up the cycling done that week by staff with lots of prizes for different categories of entrants.

Here in Palmerston North there are a range of things happening.  On Saturday 12th from 10am to 2pm at Arena 2 there were bike checks by Pack’n’Pedal, bike registrations by the NZ Police, a trial riding and unicycling display.  On Wednesday 16th from 7.30 to 9.30am there was a free breakfast for people biking to work and at lunchtime 12-2pm a Raleigh Relay in the Square on Green Bikes. 

If you want to find out about local cycling groups and other cycling events contact Cycle Aware Palmerston North (CAPN@bikerider.com, ph 356-3588).  Another way to meet up with other local cyclists is to come on a 20 minute Critical Mass ride, first Friday of each month, starting at 5.15pm at the Clock Tower in the Square.

For more information on Bike Wise Week check out:  www.bikewise.co.nz

Keeping fit and healthy getting around town

By Dr Christine Cheyne, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Massey University. April 2005

The next lunchtime talk in the Sustainable Households series provides people with a chance to learn about transport options that keep them healthy and also contribute to the health of our environment.  It is increasingly recognised in the 21st century that we are likely to experience a big transformation in how we move around. A number of factors are combining to bring about this transformation including the cost of roading, the increasing cost of non-renewable fossil fuels and the growing awareness that our health depends on being more active.

As well as ‘recreational’ activity we can do a lot to maintain our health by simply building activity into our daily routine.  For anyone who isn’t actually house-bound, our mode of transport is a great opportunity to take care of our health – and do our bit for the environment.  Cycling or walking all or part of the way to where we work, study or do our shopping can be incorporated into our daily routine. 

Using public transport is also a healthy option that can be combined with walking or cycling.  Staff and students of Massey and UCOL now have the option of free transport on the city’s buses.  Cycling or walking in order to use public transport is another option for those who might find the distance from home too great to walk or cycle.  

Most of us have become used to jumping in the car convinced that we have no time for walking, cycling or taking the bus.  But the extra time involved is an investment in our health and gives time to think and/or and enjoy our surroundings.  As well as being cheaper and more relaxing options, walking, cycling and public transport, are what is known as sustainable transport: transport modes that are less polluting and less wasteful of scarce resources.  Palmerston North is a nice compact and flat city and the more you walk and/or cycle the easier it becomes! But don’t take my word for it… if you haven’t tried it for a while get out on a bike or on foot and discover the benefits of walking/cycling!

The Minister for Transport Safety Harry Duynhoven has signed three Land Transport Rules, which came into effect on 27 February 2005.

The Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 (Road User Rule)

This rule updates and clarifies the responsibilities of all road users including pedestrians and drivers or riders of all types of  vehicles, ranging from heavy trucks to skateboards and mobility scooters. It links to the rules relating to traffic control devices and vehicle lighting by, respectively, setting out the responsibilities of people using, for example, a cycle lane; and by specifying when drivers can, or must, operate their vehicle's lights.

More information and a summary of provisions within the Road User Rule is available at: http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/rules/about/road-user-2004.html

The Land Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices 2004 (Traffic Control Devices Rule) ensures that signs, road markings and other traffic control devices contribute to road safety by providing clear and consistent messages that road users throughout New Zealand can quickly recognise and respond to safely.

More information on this rule is available at:

The Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Lighting 2004 (Vehicle Lighting Rule) aims to address the risks to road safety associated with  inadequate or missing vehicle lighting or lights that dazzle or confuse other road users.

More information on the Vehicle Lighting Rule is available at: www.landtransport.govt.nz/rules/q-and-a/vehicle-lighting-2004.html.