Advocacy News: Santini Partners Gillett Foundation, Biketober & Pedal Power Delivers Message for Urgency

Cycling garment manufacturer Santini and advocacy organisation The Amy Gillett Foundation have joined forces to foster safer cycling.

As part of the partnership, Santini Australia released a limited-edition reflective cycling kit for last weekend’s Amy’s Gran Fondo.

Designed in Australia in collaboration with the Amy Gillet Foundation, the jersey is a distinctive bright pink colour, and features innovative highly reflective panels, ensuring maximum rider visibility at any time of day and night.

Santini says the jersey is the first of its kind, developed specifically for this collaboration, and the company hopes to expand this technology into its fashion and custom range, to help the safety of as many riders as possible.

Santini is distributed in Australia by BikeSportz and its general manager, Shannon Cramer, said: “By joining with The Amy Gillett Foundation, we’re not just enhancing the cycling experience with Santini’s apparel but also contributing to a safer future for every cyclist on the road.

“This jersey has a purpose and is dedicated to everyone who has lost their life while practicing their passion, cycling on the road.”

All Gran Fondo participants who raised or donated $100 received the jersey to ride at the event.

Biketober

Melbourne businesses are being encouraged to lead the way to higher cycling participation rates as the city steps up its involvement in the annual international Biketober promotion.

Victoria’s peak motoring organisation, RACV, is partnering with City of Melbourne council to fully subsidise local businesses participating in the month-long promotion, conducted through global cycling advocacy group Love to Ride and its cycling mapping app.

Businesses in the City of Melbourne district can register and participate in Biktober for free, and there is a 50% discount for businesses in other parts of Victoria.

People can register individually or as part of a team within their organisation – with the ultimate goal to log the most kilometres. Biketober eligible participants will also benefit with a free 12-month subscription to RACV’s Bike Assist.

Love to Ride, based in the US, developed the app to encourage people to cycle more regularly. The app’s technology detects when the phone owner is cycling and automatically turns on the GPS and tracks the bike ride, in the same way FitBit detects and records people walking or running.

It launched Biketober several years ago and it has since spread to many countries around the world.

Participants can win a $4,000 holiday package or a Merida e-Bike valued at $3,899.

Pedal Power Delivers Petition

Advocacy organisation Pedal Power ACT formally present its petition, demanding better cycling infrastructure in the Territory, to the ACT Minister for Roads and Active Travel, Chris Steel, last week.

The petition attracted more than 1,200 signatures and is part of a Pedal Power campaign calling on the ACT Government to invest heavily in cycling and other active travel infrastructure.

Signatories included several cycling, businesses and conservation group representatives.

“We are calling on the Government to build a connected, safe, and convenient cycle and active travel network, as proposed as priority two of the ACT Government’s Draft Active Travel Plan,” Pedal Power executive director Simon Copland said.

“We want the Government to immediately improve the proposed active travel network as part of the final draft of the Active Travel Plan and commit to conducting annual reviews of the project.”

The petition is also asking for Government commitment to increase funding for maintenance of cycle lanes, shared paths and footpaths, to install raised pedestrian crossings at all road crossings not protected by traffic lights on principal cycle and active travel routes and to build secure end-of-trip facilities in each of Canberra’s town and groups centres.

The handover began with a public event in Canberra’s Civic Square, in front of the Legislative Assembly, and involved around 30 Pedal Power members including long-time member Paul O’Dwyer, who suffered extensive injuries during a collision while cycling last year.

Paul was riding before work, along a cycleway designated by a painted line, when he was hit by a car and thrown six metres through the air. He suffered fractures to three vertebrae in his spine, the loss of a tooth, and a diverted septum in his nose and was momentarily knocked unconscious. Paul had a seizure when he regained consciousness at the collision site and was later placed into an induced coma while the exact nature of his injuries was established.

One year later, Paul’s C1 vertebrae remains fractured, so he is unable to commence any rehabilitation, physiotherapy or return fully to work.

“All of this could have been avoided if the bike lane he was travelling on had been fully segregated, separated from cars by physical barriers rather than by paint,” Simon said.