Attending the Walk21 conference in New York was a great opportunity to see first hand the changes being made in the city especially the new plazas along Broadway. The results are very impressive with 1,400sqm of new public space. They were hugely busy and have obviously been well received by the city residents. Most interesting perhaps is the minimal budget on which these changes have all been made.
Blog
26 Nov 2009
Transport Minister Steven Joyce has released a summary of the more than 1,500 submissions received as part of a wide-ranging review of road safety. The summary of submissions is available at www.saferjourneys.govt.nz
Tags: National level, safer journeys, Safety, NZ Government
9 Oct 2009
Consultation on Safer Journeys is now finished. Living Streets Aotearoa and several of our local groups made submissions. The Ministry of Transport should have the draft Safer Journeys 2020 document ready by the end of the year.
Tags: National level, safer journeys, Safety
29 Sep 2009
For some Groups a blog may be relevant so it is here in case it needs to be used.
Tags:
24 Sep 2009
Lots of Dunedin commuters took to the train on International Carfree day and travelled on a Taieri Gorge railway train into Dunedin. Living Streets Dunedin fuelled walkers at lunchtime by handing out snacks to those on foot in the Octagon. The Otago Daily Times reported on the day's activities
Tags: Activities, carfree day, Otago, Dunedin
14 Sep 2009
The Ministry of Transport has put out a discussion document "Safer Journeys", asking for feedback on the priorities for improving safety on the roads. This is of paramount interest for walkers as we are the most vulnerable road users. More people would walk if they felt that our roads and the people who drive on them were safer. So have your say - you can read the document and make an on-line submission here, or put your comments on the blog for inclusion in the Living Streets submission.
26 Aug 2009
Congratulations to the Wellington City Council for turning a precarious Kelburn 'goat track' into a walkway to provide safe access for pedestrians between Norway and Plunket streets. Read more..
Tags: Walkability, Local government, Wellington
4 Aug 2009
The 10,000 Steps Northland win of a Golden Foot Award got a good story in the Northland Advocate
A Northland fitness programme not only stepped up to the mark, it set the pace at the inaugural national Golden Foot New Zealand National Walking Awards.
The 10,000 Steps Northland programme has won the Living Streets Aotearoa award for the country's best recreational walking programme.
Well done Sport Northland on some well deserved coverage!
21 Jul 2009
Give 200 pre-teens in London pedometers to count how many steps they walked - and guess what happens. As part of a study into obesity, 11- and 12-year-olds were required to clip a pedometer to their waists. Researchers were surprised by the activity levels recorded in some obese children. Further investigation revealed some had attached their pedometer to their family pets. Guess you have to credit their ingenuity. Full story on the BBC site.
21 Jul 2009
A school in New Plymouth has found a fun, positive way to make its Davies Lane entrance safer, and its students fitter.
Both the school and New Plymouth District Council are encouraging parents not to use Davies Lane for picking up and dropping off their children, but to instead walk them to school from home or from their cars parked elsewhere.
Tags: Health, Safety, Taranaki, New Plymouth
21 Jul 2009
Findings in the recently released report in to short trip active mode travel in Wellington shows that 79% of respondents in the greater Wellington region had made a short trip up to two kilometres in the 24 hours prior to interview, which is a decrease on the 89% recorded in the 2006 survey.
For more info click here.
Tags: Wellington region
21 Jul 2009
One in four blue collar workers are at high risk of experiencing a heart attack, stroke or other cardiac problem in the next five years according to research carried out by workplace wellness provider, Vitality Works, a Scoop item reports.
The article goes on to note:
Tags: Health, Wellington
6 Apr 2009
The Quality of Life survey, made public today, asked residents in 12 cities to rank their lives in areas including health, crime and safety, and public transport. Wellington came out on top, with just under 95 per cent of Wellingtonians ranking theirs as either extremely good or good, making Wellington the No 1 city. The survey reports Wellingtonians believe it is generally a safe place to live. The city topped the list for people feeling safe after nightfall while in their homes, visiting the city centre, and walking in their neighbourhood.
29 Mar 2009
It is not quite clear who has written the blog post featured here on the property information site Zoodle but it provides a good summary of the issues related to walkability and the U.S. service that provides WalkScores
6 Feb 2009
Well it has been a long time coming but the LTNZ have finally published their guide to planning and designing spaces for pedestrians. In their words:
- This guide sets out ways to improve New Zealand’s walking environment. It outlines a process for deciding on the type of provision that should be made for pedestrians and provides design advice and standards.
In our view ....... [more to be added]
13 Dec 2008
Rodney Tolley, director of Walk21, a UK-based organisation that promotes walking, has been in Blenheim as a guest of the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board's Nutrition and Physical Activity programme to assess whether Marlborough could improve its walkways for pedestrians.
According to the Marlborough Express, Mr Tolley's analysis was that if you create a place where people want to walk and Blenheim will benefit economically.
Dr Tolley started his day with a walk around central Blenheim observing how
Tags: Local government, Nelson
9 Dec 2008
The Avondale Community Board has approved the 1.3km route along Great North Rd, the Central Leader (Dec 5th) has reported. The project will mix cyclists and pedestrians on the narrow footpaths near Blockhouse Bay Rd.
Tags:
9 Dec 2008
Good to see the initiative by the Tasman District Council in which they promote a Walk of the Month with a link to the archive of previous walks. Seems like a nice approach to getting people exploring parts of their locality they may not already know.
Tags: Local government, Nelson
7 Dec 2008
Be The Change have a "Bike or Walk" pledge.
Start walking or biking for short distances, with time you might get fitter.
Every kilometer saved on petrol counts!
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5 Dec 2008
Wellington City Council has adopted three new policies aimed at improving conditions for walkers and cyclists across the city. The Walking, Cycling and Track Recreation Activities policies were approved last week.
Tags: Local government, Wellington