HEALTHY TRANSPORT HOBART

Bike Jam on Hobart's Waterfront

Video of the ride at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNLkN08WI5w

Hobart’s Courteous Critical Mass turned on big numbers once again for an adventurous ride around the city. The route followed an off road traverse of footpaths, underpasses and bike track circling the cenotaph and then cruising down across the waterfront only to be paused by the opening of a bridge to let a boat through.  We finished up at Salamanca after riding up through Battery Point and around Arthurs Circus several times.  Apologies to anyone who found the route unsatisfactory, we’d love to hear your suggestions.

Katie presenting Nick McKim with his award

Will Hodgman, Nick McKim and David Bartlett

Click the link below to see the news report:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkCnmT67KNM

On the 26^th March David Bartlett, Will Hodgman and Nick McKim were jointly awarded a national prize from the cycling promotion fund for their contribution to cycling in Tasmania. Mary McParland from Cycling South, Tim Stredwick from the Tasmanian Bicycle Council and Katie Kingshott from Healthy Transport Hobart presented the awards on a sunny parliament house steps.  The ceremony was covered by television news that evening in a story which highlighted the need for cyclists and motorists to share the road and play by the rules.

Getting ready to hit the streets

Following in the wake of a recent visit from renowned urban planner and architect Jan Gehl, a group of volunteers and HTH Members have been assisting the Hobart City Council with bike counts around the city. The first two counts were on Tuesday 24^th March and focussed on the number of bicycles crossing certain intersections around the city. This will be a continuous activity throughout the year to provide baseline data to the people who need it on the most frequented bike routes around the city.  A big thanks to all the crew who helped out.

“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring.” Desmond Tutu

Celebrate the end of another month with Hobart’s Courteous Critical Mass bike ride! We’re hitting the streets once again- rain, hail or shine for a leisurely 40 minute cycle around the city.

Why not arrange a post ride dinner with friends, invite a few mates along for beers afterwards or take the kids for ice creams after showing your support for safe cycling and bicycle facilities.

Meet 5.10pm at Franklin Square to pick up some free reflective tape, puncture repair kits and fresh fruit. Free chain cleaning and tire pressure checks will take place from 5pm.

Healthy Transport Hobart was announced the winner of the “2009 Bicycle Tasmania Clips Award” at the Tasmanian Cycling Festival on Sunday 15^th March. The award acknowledges significant initiatives that promote cycling as a means of transport. The award recognises the group’s encouragement of the monthly Courteous Critical Mass, as a means of advocating for a supportive physical and social environment for active transport. 

Bike Week was a huge success attracting thousands of riders across the state to a broad range of cycling events and races. Hopefully the events will have given participants more confidence to incorporate cycling into their daily life!

Katie and Liam shared a few alternative options to car transport on Thursday 12th March to the year 11 and 12 students at the Friends School. Lyn Tunbridge, one of the senior staff members at the school told them of a recent school policy which allows students to wear their sports uniforms if they ride their bike to school. Another teacher told of how they have just recently held a bike breakfast and hope to hold more in the future. With complaints from residents in the close proximity to the school about their parking being taken up by students, Friends’ is supporting students who get to school on their bikes!

Great news on the Argyle/Campbell st bike lane progress! Its happening real soon. Some temporary lines have gone on the road near the massive new motor show room, but according to one of the fellas working on thursday night, the surface needs some improvements so we should see some of the bike compatible redesign shortly. He gave us some tips that the advanced standing bike boxes are on their way!  In the mean time, there is a right hand lane for bikes if you are turning right onto Burnett St from Argyle. More updates when we see more work!

With the help of Mark Bowden at BikeRide Liverpool St, the Healthy Transport Hobart Crew are now ready to fix your puncture, tune up your gears and replace those brake pads. We all forked out $35 for a 3 hour session on general bike maintenance and learnt a healthy dose new things to keep us riding even if we break down. Watch out for some free chain cleaning and tyre pumping at the next Courteous Critical Mass Ride.

Danish Architect and Internationally renowned urban planner, Jan Gehl delivered an inspiring public lecture on the 24^th February 2008, ‘Cities for People’.

He spoke of how history has seen architects viewed as very big, and people very small. According to Gehl, an automobile invasion occurred around the 1950s in Australia, and since then cars have been seen as ‘good’, while pedestrians are ‘shit’. Everything has been done to make car journeys easier, and culturally we have learnt only to think in this way.

He questioned that despite perfect statistics on driving and parking, why is there no department for pedestrians and public life?

He said public space is defined by a city being a meeting place, a market place and a connection space. We now face almost abandoned cities where provision for cars is enormous. He used the example of bitumen praries, which like the American Indians, we make dashes across from our cars to the safety of shopping sactuary.

Gehl made the following points:

• There has been 9 reconquered cities: Barcelona, Lyon, Strausburg, Frieburg, Copenhagen, Portland, Curitibia, Bogota and Melbourne.
• Instead of paying for exercise we can have it built into our daily lives through safe walking and cycling avenues.
• The most wanted aspects for a good city were: Lively, attractive, safe, sustainable and healthy. All of which are addressed through increased cycling and walking.
• ‘People watching’ is one of the greatest interests in our lives.
• An efficient public transport system is integral for a sustainable city.
• Planning that provides for cycling and walking over cars will see the health expenditure dramatically affected.
• The more people, the safer the city.
• More roads equals more traffic. Beijing receives 1000 new cars every morning.
• What you get in the city is what you invite.
• There is an example in Seol, Korea, of a freeway was removed to allow a river to run with parks on either side. (a place for people over cars).
• Every city has a level of traffic dictated by the provision for traffic.
• We consider parking a god-given human right!
• Earthquakes are good re-organisers of inappropriate road developments.
• Belfast was shut down to cars for a while because of terrorism fear. It was safer.
• In Bogota, the mayor decided that as non car users made up 80% of the traffic, so has been removing 2% of parking each year.
• People will cross roads where they want to so why not provide for them.
• If you remove a lane, there will be massive congestion for 2 months, then there will be no congestion as people will change their ways.
• In Copenhagen, 36% of trips in the city are by bicycle, in Brisbane 2% are.
• 70% of the Copenhagen cycling population ride in winter.
• In Copenhagen, bicycling has doubled in the last 10 years.
• Copenhagen has a city goal of 50% of people commuting by bike by 2015.
• Closing streets is not done to harm motorists, it is done to harm people.
• Copenhagen has outdoor cafes operating 10 months a year.
• Portland, Oregon, is the No. 1 city in the world for liveability.
• Bike lanes should not be a buffer zone for parked cars.
• Sydney is great for parties, Olympics and summits, but half ones walking time is lost to traffic lights.

Here at Healthy Transport Hobart we were so stoked to have seen Jan Gehl talk that we are finding a way to buy his books and find out more answers to some of the issues we face.

Check out the online discussion forum at: www.utasalumni.org.au.

And a recording of the lecture at: not available yet

And for all the official goodness visit his website:  http://www.gehlarchitects.com/?#/159372/

Hope shines on the horizon for improved bicycle access over the Tasman Bridge. Bartlett pledged $515 000 last month to make the dash over the Derwent a little safer and convenient.

Hopefully the skin will stay on our knuckles as we ride (or blow) past the overhanging fire hydrants that plans are set to modify. Stairs on the southern city side of the bridge that just weren’t made for panniers, bob trailers and kids are to be replaced with a ramp. All good news- but the best way to battle bridge blues? SLOW DOWN!!

Squeezy...

Digging up the road

Banked up traffic from road works sends a wiff of suspicion that Hobart City  Council’s promised bicycle lane into the CBD may just be on its way.  Smart engineering and healthy urban planning is behind the dedicated bicycle infrastructure on Argyle and Campbell Street (to be). We hope this marks on the ground beginnings of an arterial cycling network into an increasingly sustainable transport friendly town!