Getting There - On Foot, By Cycle - Priority 3
Last updated on
22/06/2010 5:09 p.m.
A strategy to advance walking and cycling in New Zealand transport
February 2005
Encourage collaboration and co-ordination of efforts for walking and cycling
Why?
No one sector can make all the decisions or provide all the skills and expertise required to significantly increase walking and cycling. Developing walk-and-cycle-friendly communities, for example, relies on the combined decisions and expertise of traffic engineers, transport policy makers, local government decision makers, urban planners and designers, and developers. A collaborative and co-ordinated approach is most likely to succeed.
Collaboration will also help to ensure that decisions and solutions work from a variety of perspectives. This is particularly important where solutions seen as useful by one sector may raise concerns for others. For example, transport professionals may support the use of short walkways between streets in order to reduce travel time for pedestrians, while crime reduction experts may advocate against these due to personal security concerns.
Walking and cycling tend to be two among many interests for most organisations and this may limit the level of resourcing that organisations are able to direct toward walking and cycling. Collaboration can ensure that available resources are used to the best effect. For example, a partnership to promote walking and cycling could combine resources from the health, environment, and energy efficiency sectors, as well as from the transport sector.
An important perspective on walking and cycling is offered by the organisations or networks that represent pedestrians and cyclists. Such groups are increasingly being called on to represent their constituents in a wide variety of consultative, advisory and decision-making forums - often with little or no recompense. Most such groups rely largely on voluntary efforts, and some are concerned about their capacity to respond to growing numbers of requests in an effective and informed fashion.
Desired outcome
A co-ordinated, inter-sectoral and collaborative approach will enhance the effectiveness of efforts for walking and cycling and maximise the use of available resources.
How?
International and local experience indicates that the following types of action will help to achieve this outcome:
- Inter-sectoral groups co-ordinate, advise on and monitor implementation of walking and cycling strategies.
- Inter-agency partnerships regularly develop, fund and implement programmes and initiatives for walking and cycling.
- Planners, designers, traffic engineers, developers and those representing pedestrians and cyclists collaborate in the early stages of planning for developments and re-developments.
- Discussion and resolution of issues is encouraged between sectors and among those with varying points of view related to walking and cycling.
- Pedestrians and cyclists are represented in transport forums such as Regional Land Transport Committees and Road Safety Advisory Groups.
- Practical support is provided to walking and cycling user groups and networks to enable them to provide high-quality input into advisory, planning and decision-making processes.
<< Previous | Contents | Next >>
Media Release
Download the: