Greater protection for cyclists wanted

Press, 22 July 1976, Page 17

Greater protection for cyclists wanted

By

PAUL RANSLEY

Traffic conditions in Christchurch are making cycling more of a blood sport than the gentle recreation it should be. Yet, even though it can be risky to take a cycle on to the streets during some periods of the day, their manufacture and sale are booming. The boom has prompted a group of keen Christchurch cyclists to form a Bicycle Planning Committee. Its aims are to promote the bicycle and make

the streets safer for cyclists.

They are canvassing local bodies for support of some ambitious proposals they have outlined in a report called. “Basic steps to improve bicycle facilities in Christchurch.” Tens of thousands of children daily face danger ous traffic conditions while cycling to and from school, the report says. More cyclists are taking to the roads, but many others will not do so until cycling in the city traffic is made safer. The report suggests bicycle priority routes be provided in the city and a

safety programme set up to improve the performance of both motorists and cyclists. Other suggestions include the provision of more effective bicycle facilities and the removal of obstacles to cycling convenience. “There is an urgent need for local councils to recognise that cycling and cycling safety must be encouraged as an official policy,” the report says. The co-ordinator of the

Bicycle Planning Committee (Mr Ken Lefever) says tiie report was designed to encourage discussion among local bodies which had placed the needs of cyclists low on their list of priorities. “We don’t profess to have all the answers in the report, hut we have put a viable solution to the problems cyclists face and it does not involve a lot of money.”

A traffic engineering assistant with the Christchurch Citv Council (Mr C. H. Shaw) has been studying the problems of cyclists. “I think the Council

has become aware of the needs of cyclists but the biggest problem, when we talk about bikeways, is that to some people these mean a big expense and there is not enough money for other projects already,” he says. “Local bodies are aware of the cyclists’ problems and are trying to work together.” The preparation of a bikeway between town and Ham and the Teachers’ Training College was already underway, and this involves three local authorities, Mr Shaw says. Last April, a survey of cyclists within the city belt was made and a further survey next year will ascertain if there has been an increase of bicycle users. The 13-page report of the Bicycle Planning Committee, which has been operating since September and has about 30 members, devotes much space to the bicycle priority routes. Future traffic should flow along primary and secondary arterial' routes, and through traffic in residential areas should be discouraged, it says.

“These residential streets will provide a vacuum

which can accommodate bicycle traffic more safely and still retain the benefits achieved from reduced vehicle traffic,” the report says. “Selected routes for bicycles must parallel as closely as possible. the major vehicle traffic routes.” The committee is examining the possibility of setting up 12 bicycle priority routes into central Christchurch from the surrounding belt. Each of these routes would provide a corridor for relatively safe travel and operate as a collector and disperser for cycle traffic flowing to and from the city. Local secondary networks of bicycle routes should eventually serve children travelling to and from school, local residents travelling to and from nearby community facilities, and commuting cyclists using the primary bicycle priority routes for longer journeys. The report argues that if priority routes are set up with the backing of local bodies, cyclists should not be confined to them. “A network will encourage

safer cycling and its use should be promoted. However, cyclists must still have the choice of whether to continue using busy traffic routes or the bicycle routes.”

The report says that to attract cyclists any cycle route must have a good road surface; stop signs erected to control crosstraffic; a low volume of or no vehicle traffic; as few required stops as possible; aesthetic surroundings; and a good network of roads to serve it. More effective facilities would include cycle lanes and more bicycle racks around town.

The report “The bicycle offers many advantages as a mode of transportation. It causes minimal impact on the environment, has flexibility, is cheap to buy and run, requires less expensive facilities per person than motor vehicles, and has recreational appeal. However, in spite of these advantages, the bicycle has received little official recognition or encouragement.”