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Cyclist skills training: newsletter

Issue 1 - July 2008

Print version: Cyclist skills training - issue 1 (PDF, 156 KB, 2 pages)

Welcome! This is the first of a series of newsletters to update you on progress on the development of cyclist skills training in New Zealand.

The Cyclist skills training guide aims to provide a consistent ‘best practice’ approach to the delivery of cyclist training in New Zealand. It caters for a range of trainees and suits both school and adult training environments. It aims to ensure that trainees demonstrate their ability at each level.

Version 2 of the guide

A Cycle Training Advisory Group (CTAG) subgroup comprising representatives from Land Transport NZ, New Zealand Police and Christchurch Cycle Safe met recently in Christchurch to review the first version of the guide. As a result, the guide has been updated, mainly relating to some of the teaching outcomes for Level 1 and Level 2 and additional teaching information. Version 2 of the guide will be published at the beginning of August 2008, when the NZ Transport Agency comes into being.

Workstreams

Cyclist skills training

To achieve a national roll-out, additional areas of work need to be developed. Work has commenced on the following five workstreams:

Funding

Approved organisations are encouraged to consider cyclist skills training in their communities and to work and/or partner with other interested parties to develop programmes based on the guide.

Funding opportunities are available through the Community Focused Activity class, conditional on providers developing (or progressing towards) a programme based on the guide.

Monitoring and evaluation

We are currently preparing a monitoring and evaluation framework to help trainees, instructors, parents and teachers (if they are training in the school environment) assess the learning outcomes of the cyclist training guide.

Resource development

We are also progressing the branding (image) and information strategy for the guide. Land Transport NZ would like to investigate a ‘brand’ for the guide to make it distinctive and ensure consistency with the training’s delivery across New Zealand. Local programmes will continue to have their own recognised brand and resources, but they will be supported by the nationally branded guide and a range of accompanying resources and templates.

Instructor training

As part of the development work for the national guide, options are being investigated to train cyclist instructors. The instructor training will focus on training existing cyclist instructors on the new guide and should take place later this year.

Unit standards

This workstream involves the investigation of an appropriate industry training organisation (ITO) and the development of NZQA unit standards for instructor training. This workstream should be completed by September this year.

NZ Transport Agency

The NZ Transport Agency is currently being established and will bring together the functions of Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand to provide an integrated approach to transport planning, funding and delivery. The Cyclist skills training guide will not be affected (apart from some rebranding of resources).

Trial programmes

Cyclist skills training

We are extremely grateful to be working alongside the Christchurch City Council Cycle Safe team to trial the guide. The Cycle Safe team are currently reviewing their programme resources and lesson plans to align them with the guide and expect to become fully operational with the new programme by the beginning of 2009.

Trials in other locations are also planned before a staged national roll-out commencing in 2010. There has been significant interest in the trial, including from:

  • Rotorua District Council
  • Hamilton City Council
  • Greater Wellington Regional Council
  • Mtbskills.com (Christchurch).

As part of the trial process, we envisage that cycle training organisations will need to:

  • undertake instructor training based on the guide
  • trial the guide and provide feedback on its use and adaptability to the New Zealand context
  • evaluate the outcomes of the trial.

Cyclist training organisations

We have an extensive database of organisations undertaking cyclist training in New Zealand. In order to keep our contact database up to date, we will shortly be sending out a survey to assess current cyclist training activity.

Cycle training advisory group

Cyclist skills training

We are grateful to be working alongside a Cycle Training Advisory Group (CTAG) on the development of the guide. The CTAG currently comprises members of the following organisations:

  • Land Transport NZ
  • New Zealand Police
  • Ministry of Education
  • Cycling Advocates Network (CAN)
  • Ministry of Transport
  • SPARC
  • Waitakere City Council
  • ACC
  • Bike NZ
  • New Zealand School Trustees Association
  • Christchurch City Council Cycle Safe
  • Greater Wellington Regional Council.

CTAG's next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 30 July 2008.

For further information

Gerry Dance
Senior Policy Advisor (Walking & Cycling)
Land Transport New Zealand
04 894 6362
Gerry.Dance@nzta.govt.nz

Rachel Algar
NZ Cyclist Skills Training Project Manager
Opus International Consultants Ltd
07 834 1827
Rachel.Algar@opus.co.nz

Page updated: 18 July 2008