Kia ora,
Autumn has firmly settled in across Ōtepoti, bringing cooler mornings, changing light, and some excellent cycling weather if you’re layered up and lit up. There’s plenty happening in the cycling and transport space, and May is shaping up to be another important month for advocacy, engagement, and visibility.
During April, it was encouraging to see Dunedin City Council put a spotlight on cycling visibility and safety through its Time to Shine messaging and activities. While there’s still much work to do to make cycling feel safe for everyone, these efforts help keep active travel in the public conversation as we head into winter (hot drinks included).
April also saw the Wild Dunedin Festival, celebrating our city’s unique biodiversity and the connection between people, place, and the natural environment. It was great to see active transport recognised as part of that story cycling and walking are not only great ways to get around Ōtepoti, but also ways to experience and care for the places we love.
With voting now underway in the council by‑election, we’ve been sharing Ask the Councillors - SPOKES Dunedin to Spokes’ questions to help voters understand where candidates stand on transport, safety, and the future of cycling in Dunedin. Thank you to all the candidates who have shared their views to date.
In this newsletter, we’ll cover recent advocacy activity, updates on local projects and planning, and upcoming ways to get involved. As always, your voices, experiences, and ideas shape our work, please keep them coming.
Advocacy Update
On our fix list (collected at the annual bike breakfast), school cycling was voted the third most important issue and that is an aspect we are very passionate about. To start us off we would like to call on any interested members to join a think tank to collate data (Beats study, DCC and other sources) to get a clear idea where we are at and to formulate a plan how we can improve the situation for our tamariki to bike safely to and from school. In fact we think it is a good idea to widen this to active transport by our tamariki. So if you are keen to join this project please leave a comment at the end of this newsletter.
Recent events
The three DCC Time to Shine events this last week were very well attended, with a steady stream of cyclists stopping to enjoy the free coffee, gather free safety gear (including lights and helmets!) and get their bikes fettled by the experts from Bike House. There were quite a few people who had only just started using their bikes… the fuel prices clearly in people’s minds. Representatives from Spokes were on hand, dishing out our stickers and hopefully encouraging people to visit this site. It was particularly interesting to have conversations with people about their cycle commutes, the challenges they faced and what improvements we hope are achievable.
Activities in May
subscribe to the Spokes Calendar to get these events sync’d to your devices
COFFEE OUTSIDE (with bikes) @ the Dunedin Railway Station
every second Saturday of the month
9th of May from 9.30am
The Big Bike Film Night(s) @ the Rialto
Sunday 17 May from 4pm
Monday 18 May from 7pm
Urbanerds
19 May from 5:30pm
Take Action in May
Along with enjoying the autumn riding, we encourage you to share your voice on current local and national consultations. Every submission, short or long, helps shape a safer, more accessible Ōtepoti.
And don’t forget to cast your vote in the upcoming DCC By‑Election. Every voice counts in shaping a more bike‑friendly city!
If you missed it, check out our recent update here:
Ōtepoti updates
Concerned about temporary traffic management and cycling safety?
If you have concerns at an active road works site on the DCC roading network, report them to DCC Customer Services on 03 477 4000. For urgent safety issues, you can also ask to speak directly to the Site Traffic Management Supervisor (STMS) on site. Raising issues early helps ensure they can be addressed quickly and safely.
Interesting Reads
Support Spokes Ōtepoti Dunedin
If you value the work we do advocating for safer, more inclusive active transport, consider supporting us or getting involved. To connect with us, simply sign up to spokes.nz. To become a true supporter, join as a financial member.
Together, we can keep building a healthier, more liveable Ōtepoti Dunedin.