Bike Wise New Zealand
New Plymouth and Hastings district councils are making good progress towards becoming New Zealand’s first walking and cycling model communities. They are pulling out all the stops to ensure that the NZTA’s funding injection of $7.28 million will transform walking and cycling in their cities.
NZTA Central Regional Director Jenny Chetwynd explains that the purpose of this investment is to deliver walking and cycling environments that make walking or cycling the easiest transport choice for the community.
“We are encouraging councils to integrate walking and cycling into their wider transport planning and other initiatives. It is pleasing to see how these councils have embraced the concept of model communities. They clearly understand that integrated planning is essential to achieving this vision, and they’ve formed teams from across their council to work on this.
“Both councils intend to engage with their communities to raise awareness, involve people and get more good ideas on board. After all, there are economic and social benefits to be had through having fewer cars on the road, and more people interacting and connecting through walking and cycling”, Ms Chetwynd says.