The Star: October 05, 2017

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday October 5 2017 19
News
Local
News
Now
Fire rages, homes at risk
Cycleways pump up riding numbers
Biketober is under way
in Christchurch this
month. The Star will
be publishing articles
through the month
on events and other
things cycling
A PUSH is on to get more people
on their bikes and using the
19km of new separated cycleways
that now link suburban areas of
Christchurch to the city centre.
The new cycleways are part of
a network being built across the
city to make it easier and safer
for people to get places by bike.
“One of the main barriers to
people cycling is the perception
it is unsafe. By building a
network of new cycleways, most
of which are separated from the
roadway, we are creating a safe
environment for cyclists and
giving people real travel choices,’’
said city council transport
operations manager Aaron
Haymes.
It’s Biketober so why not give
cycling a go.
A guide detailing the
cycleways routes and providing
useful tips on how to use them
has been dropped into the
letterboxes of thousands of
homes located near the new
cycleways.
“With this new guide we are
hoping to encourage people to
give cycling a go – even if it is
only for one day a week,’’ Mr
Haymes said.
“With the weather starting
to warm up it is a good time
for people to test out the new
cycleways and see how they
could use them to get work or to
other places they need to go.’’
Cycle counters placed in
strategic locations along some
of the new cycleways show
that in the past year there has
been an increase in the number
of cycle trips being made in
Christchurch.
A counter located on the
shared path in North Hagley
Park, near the Armagh St bridge,
counted an average of 1128 cycle
trips per work day over the first
half of 2017, which is 24 per
cent higher than the 902 a day
counted in the second half of
2016. By 2021 it is expected 1674
cyclists will be using that path
each day.
A counter on the Colombo St
section of the Papanui Parallel
has recorded an average of 153
northbound cycle trips each
weekday – a 58 per cent jump
on the 2016 estimate of 97 a day.
This section of the cycleway is
predicted to carry 1249 cyclists
northbound every day by 2021.
Overall the counters show
2600 cyclists commute into the
central business district on an
average weekday. That equates
to about 5200 cycle movements
a day. That is six per cent higher
than was predicted by computer
modelling.
Results from the recent
Christchurch Residents Survey
also show attitudes towards
cycling are changing. Fifty-six
per cent of people now believe
Christchurch is a safe and
convenient city for cycling.
During the recent Life in
Christchurch transport survey
more than half the respondents
reported they had ridden a
bike in the past year and about
a quarter indicated they were
riding a bike at least once a week.
•To find out what’s on
and how you can get
involved in cycling go to
the Biketober(external
link) website.
FAST FACTS:
•Biketober is supported by
the city council and the NZ
Transport Agency.
•As well as the first
ever NZ Bike Expo and
the Asia-Pacific Cycle
Congress, more than 50
other activities are being
planned by community
groups and volunteers for
the general public. These
include social bike rides,
go-by-bike breakfasts, a
pedal-powered cinema,
bike maintenance/repair
workshops, a cargo bike
rally, and much more.
Throughout the month,
people can also use a
“Bike Passport” to visit
various participating
local businesses, collect
stamps, and then go in the
draw to win some great
prizes at the Expo.
•More details about
Biketober, including a full
programme of events,
can be found at www.
biketober.nz/christchurch.
Biketober is also on
Facebook and Twitter at @
biketoberchch.
A PERFECT FIT!
A purpose-designed plan to suit your
lifestyle - for LESS than a standard plan!
The Owners and team of Onyx Homes are quite simply some of the best
and most experienced people in the industry. It’s through this experience
that Onyx Homes bring to their customers a better standard of home
that is less than the standard plan built homes of their competitors. Onyx
Homes believes everyone is unique, so why settle for a standard plan
when you can have a purposed designed plan to suit your exact lifestyle
and for less than a standard plan? A PERFECT FIT!
You only deal with the owners so NO sales fees, royalty fees or top heavy
overheads added to your costfile
Onyx Homes is the ONLY Company in the market that fully disclose their
cost file to prove and ensure best price and quality.
info@onyxhomes.co.nz | Phone 03 928 1505
www.onyxhomes.co.nz
Find us on Facebook