westland
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No
Arthur Toms
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Mary Molloy, standing for the District Health Board which meets one and a half hours drive on the open road from my home.(I won't be cycling there) I live on a farm in what is known as an isolated area and personally cycle and or walk most days for exercise and enjoyment.
I would be happy to encourage participation in some form of activity for people each day, and to use cycles instead of their vehicles to get to work in our townships. When working in Christchurch many years ago I usually walked (one hour) or cycled to work each day unless the weather was particularly awful.
You will note I do not encourage cycles on the footpath as I am very mindful of injury to small children and the elderly which is a problem even if you think not many people use the footpath.
I will endeavour to answer your questions although I do not believe they all relate to our very long and isolated area. You will know that we have only 2000 residents in South Westland which is the equivalent distance to Wellington to Taupo so from a time and effort perspective, cycling isn't so interchangeable with motor vehicles,I wish you well in your efforts to increase cycle use.
cheers Mary Molloy
Cheers Alan, am not considering that cheap oil will keep me driving from down here at all - it seriously is my only option at present. You will be pleased to know that I only come up to Hokitika for my groceries once a month and almost always share a vehicle with my neighbour. We are very conscious of using assets and time wisely down here.
Also I breed horses which could be an option as well as cycles , if motor vehicles are ruled out over time, certainly they produce some pollution but mostly it can usefully be recycled.
Good luck, Mary
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David Tranter
Candidate for West Coast DHB board
Good on you for pursuing this issue.
I would love to follow up your information and references in detail but I have so many issues going in health and voluntary advocacy (for people dealing with Winz, ACC, DHBs, insurance companies and local councils) that I don't have the time to do other issues justice.
Briefly then, as an occasional recreational cyclist myself (as is my partner who just bought herself a new 24-speed - puts my old 10-speed in the shade!) I agree it's an under-used pastime. When I was on the West Coast DHB board in 2001/2 I cycled to a few board meetings - and the reaction was fascinating in that there was obviously a feeling that it wasn't considered an appropriate image for a board member! Also fascinating that I reckon the health management and board were one of the most unhealthy groups of people I have ever seen assembled in one room!
Problem on the West Coast is of course the weather and distances. Also, diabolical situations re many heavy lorries thundering around on already inadequate roads - I have narrowly avoided disaster from lorry drivers who barely scrape past you without the slightest slowing down. So to get the favourable conditions you seek for syclists would take a massive campaign here even to spread the idea. The councils here are so smug and self-centred that issues like this are always extremely hard to get going. But rest assured I will put a plug in for cycling whenever the situatuion arises. I realise that is less than the response you want but I have to be honest and say what I can and can't do!
Best wishes with your campaign.
Regards
David Tranter
Candidate for West Coast DHB board
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Christine Banks
West Coast District Health Board
For many years we did manage without a car ourselves although we did have access to one at times as Greymouth has no public transportation and the weather here is not just wet but wild so cycling or in our case, walking is/was not always an option. My husband also collects firewood from our beaches without a vehicle, he has a very old cart and uses his own power to push it (it does have bicycle wheels) & it is an amusement to the kids around here (probably adults too if they were honest). We still walk at times but my husband's job requires he has a vehicle.
Long distances can be another problem on the coast for day to day use of a cycle, while Christchurch may be reasonably flat so that longer distances are not a problem, the coast's population is very spread out and very hilly so combined with our weather, I personally do not believe cycling on a daily basis will be as popular as it is in Christchurch (barring those wishing to get fit by cycling).
Regarding your questions: I don't know enough about Copenhagen at this time
I believe that with our region's long distance travelling, with open road speeds, requires bike helmets as a safety measure (not entirely the answer but better than nothing & I personally don't like them but use them)
As stated our weather and lack of public transportation requires that folk here can use a car & park reasonably close to businesses as & when required so no I would not favor cycles over cars for this
Understand where you are coming from, kids going to school here often ride on the pavement. Our folk find our footpaths worse than the roads to walk on (that is, where there are footpaths provided) so we need decent footpaths anyway & this is a serious issue for candidates in the Grey District. I suspect the older folk will not tolerate cyclists on there footpaths so unless they were in favour of this, I would not lobby for cyclists using the footpaths
I am in favour of cycle / walker lanes running next to our main highways especially on the Arthur's Pass route where it is particularly dangerous for cyclists on the highway & would gladly push for this and it would also have a great tourist spin-off as well
Would love to promote utility cycles for council staff but again I think the weather thing and the distances will stop this before it goes any further
Not applicable to the Grey District, sadly we lost public transportation many years ago & we will have to get that back first but otherwise yes
I occasionally use my daughter's bike but I prefer walking & can't see that changing
Our children had bikes (daughter still does), its a good transportation option as well as a healthy option for both people & planet, go for it everyone
Regards
Christine Banks
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Barbara Duckett.
Hi Alan,
reality is however, a very unpleasant beast.
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Some questions for you :
Would you actively pursue policies that would enable utility cycling to develop along the lines that have made it the transportation mode of choice for so many in Copenhagen?
OK for Chch, not for here.
The costs out reach any benefits by an astronomical amount.
Would you lobby to rescind the law that compels cyclists to wear helmets in order to make it discretionary on the rider (as it is wherever utility cycling is well-established ) ?
No, not unless there is a safe cycle passage way as connected as the main vehicular one is.
Check brain damage costs form cycle accidents. They are profound.
Would you give preference to a comprehensive network of cycle lanes over retaining the right to curbside parking?
You can not achieve this without the fundamental basics of a complete cycle system as well, and first priority.
Would you lobby to rescind the law which prohibits cyclists from using pavements (at least as an interim measure for the years it will otherwise take to establish real separation from motorized vehicles)to enable 'slow cyclists'(e.g.the elderly)to take up utility cycling?
-Before you answer this question, next time you're out driving, take note of how few pedestrians are actually using our pavements and keep in mind that there are places in the world where cyclists and pedestrians co-exist harmoniously in significantly greater numbers.
Ours is a tourist town as are many others in Westland, people walk everywhere. They great unwashed shitters on cycles contribute to teh 3,500 tonnes of human excrement on our highways each year.
'Leaving it to the market to decide' is not working as virtually none of New Zealand's bicycle importers or retailers are taking the initiative to either promote or make available the types of bicycles and technologies which would make utility cycling practicable by a much broader range of people(e.g. the elderly ) or practical (e.g. for carrying children or shopping).
To ensure that fleets of utility bicycles become established throughout New Zealand's urban areas, would you promote or support a campaign that will create awareness of utility cycling technologies among the public to help to stimulate consumer demand ?
e.g. actively lobby for the acquisition of a fleet of utility bicycles for council staff to get around town on.
No, our roads are grossly unsafe for cars and tourists let alone cycling, our highway is one of the worst in the country as it is low on Transits list because of our low static population, 35,000; compared to 1.5 million tourists per year, the wear and tear on the roads exceeds dangerously Transits ability to maintain them to reasonably safe levels. And on top of this we have an extensive fleet of Milk tankers during the same season, you have no idea how unsafe our roads are.
Would you lobby for the installation of bicycle racks on ALL public transport vehicles ?
We do not have public transport
Do you cycle yourself? - And if not at this stage in your life, what would it take to get you to take up 'utility' cycling in the future ?
No, its not safe, I hate sports and I prefer to walk
Would you recommend that other people (children/ the elderly) cycle?
Personal choice
Why? / Why not?
Its not safe so no only personal choice, I would not recommend it and as I said before, mostly locals walk, there is a sports group who cycle and think its fun, but that is all that is available.
My recommendation is that you concentrate your enegies on teh roads, improve them make them safe, work out that you have to answer two questions to achieve anything,
1. There is no money?
2. Who is going to pay for it?
Regards Barbara Duckett