Auckland Transport are currently hosting some cycle training events. They are being held at different venues around Auckland. I stopped on my way home to check out the session at the 3 Kings School venue. Details of the courses can be found on the website.
In Britain, there is also a cycle training programme. It’s called ‘Bikeability’. David Hembrow doesn’t rate it very highly. He believes these programmes have ‘failed British cyclists’. Read his comments here and judge for yourself.
Cycling-the non-vehicular way.
To be fair, he essentially says that the infrastructure ENVIRONMENT in the UK has failed cyclists. I.e. they get skills that most of them won't end up using much because the conditions are still too hostile.
That indeed is a similar situation as it is here – but should not discourage people who want training to get it.
Seems to me Hembrow is putting up a slightly odd argument there- pitting training against infrastructure. Is anyone claiming we only need one of those?
I have sat through a couple of these courses and was a little dissapointed. They teach people how to ride to the road rules rather than how to ride to survive ……. As most cyclist know following the rules can quite often get you killed.
@Shane, I have to agree. There seems to be a focus on riding like a vehicle. That is a scary prospect for all but the bravest warriors. It's definitel not my cup of tea.
@Adrian, I interpreted David Hembrow as saying that cycle training is being over relied on to increase cycling numbers. There is nothing wrong with training per se. But it's value is limited when the environment and culture is less than forgiving.
I think the emphasis on cycle training in NZ being focused heavily on vehicular cycling and the issues that come with that, tells its own tale:
Our road environment is highly regulated and "motorwayised". Cycle infrastructure is rare as are cyclists. For a cyclist to best survive that environment they are forced to be more vehicular in nature- assertive, formal, constrained by rules and thus more "predictable" That’s not everybody's idea of a nice ride, but that's the situation. I cringe when I see a gutter bunny religiously keeping left past parked cars and opening themselves to danger. As an instructor, I am faced in grade 2 and 3 training (on road) with having to get across that formal world. I feel its critical information. However interestingly I am also aware that there is an element of risk in training people this way: For a start I guess you could recognise the fact that in terms of collisions and falls the sofa is the safest place to stay. Secondly, Just how rare is a well trained cyclist these days? Does their rarity make them predictable or just vulnerable?. If everybody is bunny hopping curbs to shoot up the footpath then cross three lanes of idling cars to tear up the outside, wont drivers see that as the norm? and in a funny kind of way "predictable"? We are blighted by the fact that most drivers think "cyclist" but actually just see "courier"
This issue really came home to recently when a police officer pulled me over for questioning, blue light, siren, the works, because in his opinion I was impeding traffic (him) by being positioned in the centre of the lane (fast downhill to a blind corner). He said I needed to be achieving 50K to take that position. I of course had great fun explaining the actual road rules to him -that discouraging cars from overtaking in that particular situation wasn’t only my right, but in fact my responsibly under the cycling road rules. It was a rather a distasteful victory though as afterwards I realised the sad state of affairs this had shown. Even our police don’t expect us to be riding to the road rules! How many other drivers am I angering by simply riding in step with the rules?
I believe many non cycling drivers in NZ have lost all empathy with us as a user group, they simply see us as strange footpath inhabiting, light running, "vermin of the road" I see no other way to change this than to ride as proudly and formally as I can, train as many as possible in the above issues and to focus as much training on adult drivers as on kids.
I am holding and adult cycle training course on Waiheke island at the end of the month. Check out http://waihekecommed.co.nz/ for availability. Still some places left.
Tom Ransom
@Tom, I think you have described the cycling landscape in Auckland and NZ accurately. While that reality prevails we are really going to struggle to get the necessary infrastructure built.
You and I know that cycling is a fast, efficient,cheap, healthy transport tool for short trips but we are the 1%. Whether we like it or not, the image of cycling is not one that the public can relate too. A major shift in thinking is needed in. Dear i say it, a culture shift. A culture that says 'people on bikes are worth encouraging'. There is plenty of cycling to be done in Auckland that does not require heavy investment in infrastructure. While roads remain the domain of speeding cars and car parking ,we will struggle to grow cycling in any signnificant numbers.
Good luck with the training on Waiheke.
Bike Now was an NZTA funded research programme intended to test means of encouraging cycling to work, part of the initial study questioned people on what would help them to choose to bike to work, 3,825 people across 40 worksites responded to the survey with the following results (% of all responses)
showers, lockers etc. 15%
nothing on earth 15%
secure bike parking 12%
guaranteed ride home 12%
fleet bike available 9%
help with route planning 8%
training to fix flats etc 7%
training to ride 6%
so clearly there are issues for people that come well ahead of training for intending commuter cyclists
obviously some people listed more than one thing, probably the sample was biased by people with an interest in cycling responding, as around 78% of employees across the businesses ignored the survey
uptake of cycling courses offered was poor, only 5% of people who indicated interest actually turned up
I ran some courses for an organisation in the CBD and one at St Johns, the big problem was the range of skills that people had, from barely riding to quite skilled cyclists, which made it hard to pitch the course at an appropriate level
North Shore City's travel demand team ran courses to coincide with bike week, I think that these were reasonably well attended
"There is plenty of cycling to be done in Auckland that does not require heavy investment in infrastructure."
Sadly, I can't agree – even installing cycle lanes ("just paint") generally requires (yes, and should require) quite a bit of work. Because otherwise, that cycle lane will be highly hazardous at various pinch points, un-fixed drain gates, intersections where they peter out etc…
No, I think we need infrastructure investment. BADLY.
I will never say no to a "paint only" scheme where it works, and I have often defended cycle lane schemes (which, as noted above, often involve more physical infrastructure works than are visible later on) but good infrastructure don't come cheap.
The good thing is that it is coming. Slowly, but the direction is correct.
I recently returned from a Churchill Fellowship-sponsored study trip to Japan, Denmark, Netherlands, UK and California, looking at cycle training, infrastructure and advocacy.
I agree that cycle training is an important part of the puzzle, but that quality infrastructure is the key.
I spent 4 days with David Hembrow in Assen and Groningen. He's not dissing training. He's just pointing out that we can learn more from the Netherlands (bike mode share 30%+) than UK (1-2%).
CAN's priorities reflect this, see http://www.can.org.nz
Netherlands spends ~E30/year/person on cycling infrastructure. NZ can easily afford that. Savings in health costs alone would justify it.
@Max
There is plenty of cycling to be done here and now. My family do lot of our short local trips by bike. Not a separated path or painted line any where. We ride slowly on the footpath like pedestrians when we can't find a quiet side road to use or a park to cut through. In these cases, we would be just as well served by an enforced road culture that was more forgiving and affirming for people on bikes. Separated infrastructure is not necessary or practical all the time. If we have to wait for these kinds of improvements we would never cycle.
http://cyclingauckland.co.nz/general/2011/09/memories-are-made-of-these/
Mark – sorry for the misunderstanding. You were talking of actual cycling, I was talking of advocacy and infrastructure changes "that can be done cheap" to improve cycling levels.
I am sceptical of the claim that we CAN do things "on the cheap". We may HAVE to, because there's no funding, but it is far from idea, and it willl get us much less quality and mode change.