Bike wise

We’re getting prepared for the 10th Anniversary of Bike Wise in February 2012 and will celebrate this milestone by launching a new approach and a few exciting changes. We will be focusing on Safer Journeys for cyclists, so you’ll notice a few changes to the usual Bike Wise events.

As Bike Wise has such a high profile it is a great opportunity to provide safety messages around cycling that are so important. So here’s a quick update for 2012.

Go By Bike Day –Wednesday 1 February 2012
Go By Bike Day is a one-day event in February every year where thousands of people throughout New Zealand switch from cars, buses or trains and bike to work for a day.  Go By Bike Day events invite cyclists to ride to a central location on their way to work or school, and in some areas enjoy a free breakfast with other cycle commuters. Next year Go By Bike Day will launch Bike Wise Month on 1 February.

Bike Wise Challenge - 1-29 February 2012
The Bike Wise Challenge is a month-long fun, free inter-organisation challenge that aims to get more people biking more often. Organisations compete to get the most staff on a bike. Participants log their cycling hours which can be from commuting or leisure riding. Since 2007 nearly 50,000 New Zealanders from thousands of organisations have participated in the Bike Wise Challenge. In 2012 it will take place throughout February.

Some of the key outcomes from Bike Wise Challenge in 2011 were:
•    419 organisations took part in the Bike Wise Challenge
•    27% of participants started cycling more after the Bike Wise Challenge
•    15% started to cycle or increased their cycling frequency to work.

We will be providing support material and regular communication for organisation coordinators for 2012. If you want to sign up your organisation and are interested in being their Bike Wise coordinator, please contact us.

Big Bike Fix Up – throughout Spring and Summer
This is a new safety initiative for Bike Wise Month 2012 – following on from the popularity of some locally run events. We hope to encourage new and ex-bike riders onto their saddles! Many people have an unused bike sitting in a garage or under the house that with a quick maintenance check would make it safe and road worthy. The ‘Big Bike Fix Up’ is an opportunity to target getting potential riders back on the road by getting unused bikes roadworthy again.

Through local events, Bike Wise will target getting 5000 bikes fixed-up this Spring and Summer. You can help by running a Big Bike Fix Up event in your town, or by offering basic maintenance checks and simple fixes at your other events. More serious work will need to be referred to a local bike store. We are still in the planning stages of this campaign so will have more details for you soon!

Lights on Bikes Campaign – 14-26 May 2012
We all know how important it is to be visible to other road users. Wearing high visibility or bright clothing and using lights are simple ways to stay safe on your bike and decrease injuries and fatalities.

Bike Wise coordinators:  This campaign (yet to be named) is an opportunity to increase awareness of using lights, specifically during the hours of dusk to dawn, and in poor light conditions (rain, fog). Bike Wise will run a national media and PR campaign from 14-26 May 2012, to raise awareness of the importance of using bike lights.  This provides an opportunity for local coordinators to link in to the national promotion and run their own campaigns around the same time, helping to create a higher level of awareness nationwide.

We’ll be talking to local coordinators over the next few months to find out how this campaign can best be placed to support the great work that is already taking place around the country.

Mayoral Challenge
In order to introduce new events and initiatives for Bike Wise in 2012, we had to make the decision to redirect our funding from some of the existing events. We will not be running the Mayoral Challenge in 2012.

Bike Wise coordinators:  We realise that this event has become an annual fixture for many communities, and we encourage you to continue to run a family-focused cycling day or event. Registering your event with us means you will still be eligible for a coordinators kit, however we won’t be providing bikes and helmets as we have done previously for Mayoral Challenges.