Some great work by Chris Vallyon and Shane Turner of BECA - Per-person optimisation

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) will begin a trial of variable speed limits outside rural schools in June as part of the agency's ongoing effort to reduce serious crashes and improve safety on rural New Zealand roads.

The NZTA media release (18 May 2012) says five schools in the North Island will initially take part in the trial, with the first step being the introduction of a permanent 80 km/h speed limit at four of the trial schools (with a 100 km/h speed limt remaining at the fifth school).

Troubling rise in pedestrian toll says NZ Herald

The Kaipatike Area Walks booklet, the third volume in the Explore the Shore series of booklets, produced by Margaret Scrymgeour, is now available. This booklet describes walking routes, with detailed maps, in the Kaipatiki area of Auckland's North Shore. That's west of the Northern Motorway including Northcote, Birkenhead, Beach Haven and Glenfield.  This is the final booklet in the series.

Congratulations to Margaret Scrymgeour, a member of Living Streets Aotearoa, for compiling into a handy booklet form a series of walking routes to help people explore the hidden walkways and small reserves throughout Auckland's North Shore. Margaret has been involved in walking activities on the North Shore for the past 30 years. The routes were "road tested" by Margaret with help from family and friends.  Albany Newcomers Network, Rex Oddy and Albany CoCo Inc assisted with the publication of these booklets.

Living Streets-hosted innovative project, Greening the Rubble, is celebrating its first year in Christchuch with an award from the Civic Trust. Several mini parks are complete, others under construction, by a growing team of volunteers.

Living Streets and helpers turn Earthquake damaged land into parks.

On the Greening the Rubble project's website you will see how this project is making a difference in Christchurch despite the continuing earthquakes and aftershocks. Go to: http://www.greeningtherubble.org.nz

The Greening the Rubble project, will be run under the umbrella of Living Streets Aotearoa with grant support from Christchurch City Council. It forms part of a wider initiative to find temporary uses for empty sites across Christchurch, following the damage caused by the Canterbury earthquake on 4 September 2010; collectively known as Make-SHIFT.