NZ Cycling Conference

The NZ Cycling Conference is a series of cycle planning conferences started in 1997 in Hamilton. Since 2001, the conference series has a biennial schedule. The conferences are one of the key ways of exchanging expertise about planning and design for cycling in New Zealand. Starting in 2012, the scope of the conference includes both walking and cycling, by combining the previous Living Streets Aotearoa biennial NZ Walking Conference series, and was rebranded "2WALKandCYCLE". The next conference will be held in Nelson in October 2014.

Conference organisation

Initially, conference attendees and speakers were mainly cycle advocates, but the conferences have developed a broader appeal across all sectors that are involved in policy, promotion and provision for cyclists – such as from representatives from NZTA or local authorities.

The conferences are organised by an organising committee made up of representatives of various organisations. In 2009, for example, these included Cycling Advocates' Network, New Zealand Transport Agency, Ministry of Health and New Plymouth District Council.

When plans were made for what would have been the 2011 conference, it was considered whether it would be useful to have a combined event covering both walking and cycling. This was agreed to by Living Streets Aotearoa, the organiser of the NZ Walking Conference. The first combined walking and cycling conference, branded as 2WALKandCYCLE, was held from 22 to 24 February 2012 in Hastings.[1] The conference was organised by representatives of Cycling Advocates' Network, Hastings District Council staff, Living Streets Aotearoa, New Zealand Transport Agency and some individuals.[2]

Conferences

Conferences have been or will be held in the following locations:

1997 Hamilton

The 1st conference was held on 15 October 1997. The conference theme was "Planning for and Promoting Cycling in Urban Areas".

2000 Palmerston North

The 2nd conference was held on 14–15 July 2000. The conference theme was "Making Cycling Viable". Two UK keynote speakers presented via video-link: Prof Mayer Hillman and John Grimshaw from Sustrans.

2001 Christchurch

Mayor Garry Moore opening the 2001 conference

The 3rd conference was held on 21–22 September 2001.[3] The conference theme was "Transport for Living". The keynote speaker was Karel de Roy, a traffic engineer and transport planner from the Netherlands.

2003 North Shore

The 4th conference was held on 10–11 October 2003.[4] The conference theme was "Cycling Strategies – And How to Implement Them". Steven Norris, the Chair of the UK National Cycling Strategy Board was the keynote speaker. The first Cycle Friendly Awards were held in conjunction with this conference.[5]

2005 Hutt City

The 5th conference was held on 14–15 October 2005. The conference theme was "Changing Lanes – Cycling into the Mainstream". The conference was opened by Lower Hutt mayor David Ogden. The Danish engineer and senior transport planner Troels Andersen was the keynote speaker, relating the experiences from Odense to New Zealand.[6] The third Cycle Friendly Awards were held in conjunction with this conference.[7]

2007 Napier

The 6th conference was held on 1–2 November 2007.[8] The conference theme was "Getting There by Bike". The conference was attended by Minister of Transport Annette King, who presented the 2007 Cycle Friendly Awards.[9] Bob Chauncey from the National Center for Bicycling & Walking (NCBW) in the US was the keynote speaker.[10] The fifth Cycle Friendly Awards were held in conjunction with this conference.[11]

2009 New Plymouth

The 7th conference was held on 12–13 November 2009. The conference theme was "Communities, Connections and the Economy". The keynote speakers were Phillip Darnton from Cycling England and Assoc. Prof. Chris Rissel from the University of Sydney. Darnton was interviewed by Radio New Zealand's Kim Hill prior to the conference about opportunities for cycling in New Zealand.[12] The seventh Cycle Friendly Awards were held in conjunction with this conference.[13]

2012 Hastings

The first combined walking and cycling conference, 2WALKandCYCLE 2012, was held in Hastings on 22–24 February 2012. The conference theme was "Creating Smarter Communities".[2] Featured keynote speakers were Billie Giles-Corti (Univ. Melbourne), Roger Geller (City of Portland), psychologist Nigel Latta, and Alistair Woodward (Univ. of Auckland).

2014 Nelson

The second combined walking and cycling conference, 2WALKandCYCLE 2014, will be held in Nelson on 29–31 October 2014. The conference theme is "Communities on the Move". Nelson, Dunedin, and Palmerston North had competed for the hosting rights.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Overview". Harding Consultants. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Conference Handbook : 2WalkandCycle. Christchurch: Harding Consultants. 2012. p. 4.
  3. ↑ http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/recreation/cycling/conference/2001/ 2001 conference pages
  4. ↑ http://archive.can.org.nz/events/CycleConf2003RegFlyr.pdf 2003 conference flyer
  5. ↑ "2003 Cycle Friendly Awards". Cycling Advocates' Network. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Wade-Brown, Celia (9 March 2006). "New Zealand Cycling Conference Report Back". Wellington: Wellington City Council. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "2005 Cycle Friendly Awards". Cycling Advocates' Network. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  8. ↑ http://can.org.nz/conference/2007 2007 conference pages
  9. ↑ "Annette King – speech". 1 November 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  10. ↑ "6th New Zealand Cycling Conference". 21 July 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  11. ↑ "2007 Cycle Friendly Awards". Cycling Advocates' Network. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Saturday Morning – Audio from Saturday, 24 October 2009". Radio New Zealand. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  13. ↑ "2009 Cycle Friendly Awards". Cycling Advocates' Network. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  14. ↑ Borissenko, Sascha (4 September 2013). "Nelson to host walk-cycle talks". The Nelson Mail. Retrieved 8 November 2013.

External links