Getting There - On Foot, By Cycle - Priority 8 Part 3
Last updated on
21/11/2008 2:51 p.m.
A strategy to advance walking and cycling in New Zealand transport
February 2005
Lyttelton map and signs point pedestrians in the right direction
Lyttelton, on the Banks Peninsula, is a small settlement and many trips within the settlement are of easy walking distance. However, it hasn't always been readily apparent how easily trips could be made by foot.
The Lyttelton Map and Signage Project was developed to highlight walking as an attractive option and to provide pedestrian-friendly information.
Using a $14 000 grant from the Banks Peninsula District Council to augment volunteer effort, the Christchurch-based Sustainable Cities Trust, in a process led by Lyttelton resident Wendy Everingham, took the local information centre's map of the township and redesigned it around the information walkers would want and find interesting. Information added to the map included:
- routes to particular destinations, whether these routes are flat or steep, and how long they take on foot
- locations of (often little known) walkway shortcuts and walking tracks
- locations of bus stops, seats, viewpoints, telephones, post boxes and churches.
The map uses an innovative 'snakes and ladders' design concept that is fun and in keeping with Lyttelton's hillside environment.
The next stage of the project involved working with the Council to erect eye-catching signs to indicate walkways, along with direction signs pointing to destinations. These also provide walking time in minutes - often a more useful measure for pedestrians than distance in kilometres.
Supported by publicity, including a public launch in October 2004, the project has:
- raised the profile of walking and made the walking environment more visible to locals and tourists
- led to better maintenance of previously-neglected walkways
- brought 15-30 people together for a weekly community walk
- provided a promotional tool for the town and generated income (from sale of maps) to Project Port Lyttelton
- enabled the local council to provide something low-cost and tangible to the community
- made walking more interesting for adults and children alike.
The success of the project has inspired other Banks Peninsula townships to ask for similar projects.
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