Last week the Tassie Team (i.e. our career professional staff and our volunteer State Committee) took some time to look back over the 2015/16 year. We were pretty chuffed at our achievements. 

Here's a (not comprehensive) list of things that, with the enthusiasm of local volunteers and the strength of Bicycle Network, we made sure happened for Tasmanian riders in 2015/16:

Social Rides Program

• This new Tasmanian program was kicked off with a training workshop for ride leaders.  47 rides were conducted, and over 130 people are now getting fortnightly email updates on rides that are coming up.

Valet Parking

• We had a successful summer season, providing free convenient bike parking at the Sustainable Living Festival, Taste of Tasmania, MOFO, and some MONA concerts. We welcomed a new Coordinator (thanks Brad Woods!), and are looking forward to expanding to new events in the coming year.

Bike Parking Champion

• We initiated this new project, with Matt Drake taking on the challenge of improving the availability of bike parking in Hobart.

Social media

• Our presence on the web, FB and Twitter is strong, with riders sharing information and followers steadily increasing.

Volunteer Recognition

• We had our first formal annual Volunteer Recognition event, including several awards of Life Memberships to members who have made amazing contributions to advocating for riders.

Strong office

• The staffing of Advocate, Membership and Ride2School positions was maintained.  The fortnightly In The Loop newsletter is working well for Tassie members. Our comfortable office has continued to become more efficient, with the addition of a new printer and a staff e-bike (thanks to Alan Whykes for this donation!).

 Bicycle Network's national programs

• Excellent events delivered in Tassie this year: Ride2Work Day;  Ride2School; Happiness Cycle; Peaks Challenge Cradle Mountain; Ride The Night; Super Tuesday.

Local membership promotions

• Frequent Rider Coffee Card - three cafes are offering discounts to riders.
• E-bike raffle - a Launceston rider is enjoying a lovely new bike!

Representations

• We had input to formal consultations on the State Budget, the HCC planning scheme and the State Planning review.
• We were involved in: A Better Hobart; the Federal election campaign
• We had a strong advocacy presence in the South, North and Northwest, offering input and advice to a range of infrastructure projects.

And, of course, INFRASTRUCTURE for safer riding:

Built this year, with the encouragement of our advocacy, were: 

• Morrison St, Hobart - shared path
• Castray Esplanade, Hobart - shared path
• Bonnet Hill, Kingborough - sealed uphill shoulders
• Westbury Rd, Launceston - onroad bikelanes
• Augusta Rd, Lenah Valley - short uphill bikelanes.