HEALTHY TRANSPORT HOBART

HTH offers their congratulations to all the people behind the incorporation of bicycle lanes into the new roundabout near the Bridgewater bridge. We look forward to continued recognition of cyclists using the transport network through infrastructure provision.

HTH rider adventure consultant Liam.C, recently headed off on a surf trip with his brother from Hobart to the West Coast of Tasmania. Being a regular surfers means that several HTH members had been using cars to get to remote surf spots, but this may be no more. Towing a surfboard on a bob trailer is as easy as a load of groceries from the shops we found out, and even in strong winds is satisfactory. Check out the photos below for a tour to Tassies west coast and a few of the beautiful spots the journey has to offer. Read the rest of this entry »

Hi all, further to my posting a week or so ago, I received this from Anna Bickel (Launie bike-queen) recently –

CRITICAL MASS LAUNCESTON

Critical Mass is a monthly bike ride which celebrates cyclists and their right to the road. It happens all over the world, ranging in numbers from 20 to 20,000 people. It is a leaderless and spontaneous event which is open to everyone.

Come along and enjoy the atmosphere! Feel free to decorate yourself or your bike and bring all your friends. The ride will be short, fun and chilled out.

When: Friday the 18^th of December at 5:30pm

Where: Prince’s Square, Charles Street, Launceston

My apologies for no wildly-exciting pictures of bikes and the like, Love Anna

If you think you look good in a car think again. On a bike you will look better. Sandy Bay Rd had a splash of red shoe colour this evening. Hobart Cycle Chic is here to stay. We just need to find katie a red helmet!

Andrews bike sits in the utas lecture theatre

I had the pleasure of checking out a slide show put on by Andrew Hughes with photos from a round Australia bike trip over 8 months and a seakayak trip to Papau New Guinea. This bloke takes healthy transport very seriously and over the last couple of years has put in thousands of kms powered by his arms and legs. Whats more is that he is doing it for an awesome cause and sharing his experiences with local Tassie primary school kids to inspire adventure with in them.

Check it out: http://www.expeditionclass.com/

Here is an excerpt about Andrew:

Adventure and education are central to my idea of a good life.

As a teacher I want to find new and exciting ways to engage students and provide quality learning experiences. As an adventurer I seek places and people that stretch my own understanding and abilities. Growing up in Tasmania provided many opportunities to explore the landscape with a backpack and a sturdy pair of boots. As a teenager and through my twenties I traversed thousands of kilometers through the bush and along mountain ranges. From 1997-99 I learnt about rocks at university, and in 2001 tried my luck down a remote Western Australian goldmine.

In 2002, with my brother James, we walked the length of Tasmania over 50 days and summiting more than 35 peaks. The long empty roads of Australia have also captured my attention with several long distance bicycle journeys. In 2000 I circumnavigated Australia in seven months, covering nearly 16000 kilometers.

The main goal of the project, apart from coming home in one piece, is to deliver an educational product that motivates teachers and students in classroom situations.The nature of a real-life-, real-time expedition engages students because it doesn’t have a scripted ending, answers aren’t in the back of the book, and some problems have no easy solutions. There are actual risks, real discoveries and deeply felt accomplishments.

Written for the love of bike adventures by Liam.C

Katie Counts the morning bike and pedestrian traffic at Mawson Place

Another of our monthly bike and pedestrian days occurred on Tuesday 1st December with 4 locations around Hobart recording solid numbers of bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Numbers will be posted up soon. We are currently short of volunteers so if you feel you’d like to contribute to a continuing record of data on how many people are getting about using active modes of transport please shoot an email to healthytransporthobart@yahoo.com.au.

The standard count sheet used to record all pedestrian and bicycle movements at different intersections around the city

The counting experience is an exceptional way to enjoy a couple of hours in the morning or afternoon and watch the world go by with a purpose. Not only do your get to gawk at all the fashionable cyclists and pedestrians parading through intersections, you increase your hand eye co-ordination skills.

Not many parents would let a young fella like this out on his own to traverse our car dominated intersections

One of the advanced stop boxes for bikes provided a good count spot