Post in Introductions

Aug 04 09:23 UTC

Kia ora, gidday, I’m Paul de Spa. I’ve been reading this forum since last year,
when I (along with many of the people who were posting here at the time!) was
standing in the local elections (Chch City Council, Spreydon-Heathcote ward,
missed out by a couple thousand votes)… but this is the first time I’ve posted.
I’ve been invited to be a guest speaker for a week, in my role as chair of
SPOKES.

Quick bit of background: My day job is teaching environmental education
programmes through the regional council (ECan); a decade ago I was a primary
school teacher.  Between 2001 and 2007 I was an elected member of the
Spreydon-Heathcote Community Board. I’ve worked for a number of volunteer
organisations, most with a green / environmental purpose. Promoting organic
food, helping restore ecosystems, collecting for Amnesty… all have claimed a
share of my time over the years. I joined the Green Party in 1999, stood as the
party’s candidate in Wigram in 2002, and served as National Co-convenor (i.e.
party president, or the male half of this gender-balanced role) from 2003-06.

Since last year’s election I’ve decided to have a bit more time with my family:
my partner Justine and sons Luka (15) and Connor (12) have always been my top
priority, but it’s hard to make room for everything…
However the one “cause” I am sticking with is promoting cycling, and advocating
for a better deal for people who cycle (and the thousands more who would like
to) in Christchurch. I am currently chair of SPOKES Canterbury, Christchurch’s
cycling advocacy group, and a member of the national organisation CAN (Cycling
Advocates Network).

SPOKES has a membership of just over 1000 people. It’s easy to join as there is
no membership fee – all you have to do is visit our website www.spokes.org.nz
and sign up to receive our (monthly email) newsletter.
SPOKES aims to improve the state of cycling in Christchurch (within or near the
city boundaries), including:

• Increasing the safety and efficiency of streets (and off-road paths) for
cyclists.
• Improving the number and quality of all cycling facilities, and of urban
design generally, in order to encourage many more people to choose cycling as a
means of transport.
• Giving a “cyclists perspective” in public debate, be it submissions to
councils, the mainstream media, or open forums like this one..!

OK, now it’s time to play “What Was The Question?”  Let’s say the answer is:

“Invest significantly in high-quality facilities, promotions and other
incentives, to make cycling in our cities and towns as safe, efficient and
enjoyable as possible for all people.”

So, what was the question..? Was it:
1) What is the most cost-effective strategy to reduce transport-related carbon
emissions?
2) Identify a public health measure that will reduce the incidence of diseases
such as type-2 diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, and depression.
3) How can central and local government best support their citizens to deal
with the rising cost of fuel, and future-proof our communities as oil supplies
begin to dwindle?
4) How can we help kids travel to school the way they would most like to? (See:
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/saferoutes/#data )
5) How can we give people the means to raise their general level of health and
fitness without requiring them to spend any additional time or money doing so?
6) What can we do that will give people more fun in their everyday lives, and
yet save rather than cost them money?
7) What about a way to reduce noise pollution in the inner city, make the
streets safer and more pleasant for people to walk along, and reduce traffic
congestion, making it easier for those who need to drive to get where they’re
going?

(NB – even the small percentage of the population who are very young, very old
or have a disability that means they can’t ride a bike will still benefit from
implementing the answer to the questions above.)

“Invest significantly” means a decent chunk of the roading budget (say 10
percent instead of current levels around one percent), and maybe some of the
health budget too..?

… feel free to add your own questions into the mix.

… or to ask me any different questions, raise challenges, etc.

… have a look at www.spokes.org.nz and sign up if you want

I’ve reproduced the post in the new topic: “Guest Speaker (Paul de Spa): SPOKES
and the state of cycling in Christchurch”, so please go there to post any
replies.