News

Legislative changes relating to cycling have gone through as part of the Omnibus Amendment 2016. The give way rules change is a big one, as it enables us to design and build better protected cycle lanes and shared paths.

You may have read in The Press that Dr Glen Koorey advocated for Christchurch City Council to widen roundabouts, and build more large roundabouts, to reduce crashes for drivers and people cycling (The Press, 31 Aug 2016, page A5). Surprised? So was he! Because that is certainly not what he had told the reporter who rang him the day prior. The online version of the article has been duly fixed and by removing this rather wrong statement. Talk to Axel Wilke how to design roundabouts that are safer than what local guidance can achieve.

Senior transportation planner John Lieswyn is featured in the "Member to Member" profile for the May 2016 issue of ITE Journal.

The March 2016 IPENZ Transportation Group Conference was a rewarding time for the ViaStrada presenting team, who received some well-earned awards.

• Megan Fowler received two awards: 'Best Oral Presentation - Peoples' Choice Award' for her presentation of 'Cycling Network Guidance: Planning and Design', and an IPENZ study award, enabling her to conduct a study tour on protected cycling facilities.

• Glen Koorey (University of Canterbury, soon to join ViaStrada), and John Lieswyn were awarded 'Highly Commended Practice Paper' for 'Making Space: Innovative Ways to Fit Multiple Modes within Narrow Cross Sections'.

We are thrilled that these great abilities have been acknowledged, and are proud to work with such high-achieving colleagues. Well done!

ViaStrada will be closing for the holidays after Wednesday 23 December and opening again on Tuesday 5 January.

We wish all our clients and contacts a happy festive season and a safe, prosperous 2016.

In addition to this year's card, we've put together a little gallery of cards from over the years for you to enjoy.

On 5 December the ViaStrada team met for breakfast before setting off to ride the Christchurch City Council's proposed Papanui Parallel Major Cycle Route into town. A similar trip earlier in the year showed us that, because all staff cycle as well as planning and designing for cycling, trips like this offer a good opportunity for professional development and allow us to share some expert insights about planned cycle infrastructure.

We are pleased to announce that John Lieswyn is returning to New Zealand and to ViaStrada. He will take up a role as Senior Transportation Planner and Traffic Engineer on 16 November 2015.

Dr Glen Koorey, currently Senior Lecturer in Transportation Engineering at the University of Canterbury, will join ViaStrada as a Senior Transportation Planner and Traffic Engineer in April 2016.

On 2 July 2015, the shared pathway to Longburn was opened by the Minister of Transport, Simon Bridges. It is the first project in New Zealand to open paid for by the Urban Cycleway Fund! Funding was approved for the project after the 2WALKandCYCLE Conference in October 2014. Several parties really bent over backwards to make this happen before the end of government's financial year (30 June 2015). ViaStrada was privileged to be asked to contribute the scheme design.

ViaStrada entered a two-person team and two solo riders in this year's Le Race. The 100km ride from Christchurch to Akaroa was made a little harder with head winds on the flat section and on some of the hill sections too! All riders put in a top effort and were helped along by the support 'crew' in the form of Axel Wilke.