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Christchurch’s THURSDAY April 18 2013largest circulating free weekly paper
mainland press
proudly Christchurch owned
THURSDAY APRIL 18 2013
• Market day for young entrepreneurs • Combined church chooses a name
Long battle won for marine reserve P7
Anzac Day services P5
Meet Canterbury’s rose P9 EXCLUSIVE
Pedal Power
Transport solution: From left, Nigel Rushton, Alastair Hay, Jeremy Teague, Steven Muir, Felix Collins and Jane Pearce on their cargo bikes.
Photo: Samantha Early
Samantha Early | samantha@mainlandpress.co.nz
NIGEL delivers Red Cross meals on his, Jane uses hers to get the groceries and Steven takes his two kids for a spin in his… cargo bike. They’re part of what they hope will be a growing trend in Christchurch, people ditching four wheels for two, or in the case of cargo trikes, three. Cargo bikes are bicycles with added capability for carrying larger loads - they can be commercially made or home-made and the attachments range from trailers to boxes, to side compartments. “There are remarkably few regulations so it’s using your common sense, which is a nice way for it to be, long may it last,” cyclist Steven Muir, who is organising a cargo bike rally on the weekend, said. University of Canterbury PhD researcher Jane Pearce, who is studying the cargo bike movement, estimated there were about 25 people using them in Christchurch. On a research trip to Portland, Oregon last June she noticed
their expanding popularity. “There was one six years ago, now there are 600. When people see what they can do, the potential for it to grow is huge.” She uses hers for everyday errands including grocery shopping. “It’s got a lot of potential, we think, for people living on low incomes to get their mobility without having to get caught in the cycle of having to own an expensive car.” Mr Muir did an audit of his car habits and found out he only tended to drive when he needed to carry things, for example taking his musical instruments to band practice. So he built a three-wheeled bike with a large box at the front – it fits his two “pretty large” children. “My car use has dropped by 90 per cent at least…I can carry everything I need to on my bikes.” He said cargo biking had environmental, health and economic benefits.
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“It’s also a lot more fun to cycle than be stuck in traffic, faster and more fun,” fellow cyclist and rally organiser Felix Collins said. Mr Collins was keen to inspire other people to give it a go and consider alternatives to the habit of using cars. Nigel Rushton uses his bike to deliver hot meals for the Red Cross around central Christchurch. He had started out doing them by car like everyone else, but with roads congested following the February 2011 earthquake, he tried the bike trailer and has never looked back. “I am probably a bit faster than doing it in a car because I can take shortcuts that cars can’t.” Cargo bike enthusiasts are holding the first ever Christchurch Otautahi Cargo Bike Annual Rally (CHOCBAR) this Saturday, April 20 from 10am until 11.30am, meeting outside the Canterbury Museum for a circuit of North Hagley Park. If it’s raining on Saturday the event will be held on Sunday.