18 December 2014

Cycle Safety Panel report

Living Streets Aotearoa welcomes the final report of the Cycling Safety Panel, with a Government commitment to fund $100 million of improvements for cyclists and a focus on safe speeds.

We are keen to see better cyclist facilities on-road to keep the footpaths safe for pedestrians. There were 41 pedestrian deaths on New Zealand roads to November this year and we look forward to the government urgently addressing the human toll of these shocking statistics.

Living Streets Aotearoa supports an integrated approach to transport that addresses the needs of all road users, not just vehicle users. This will necessarily be tied to good urban planning. We also support a number of law changes to improve pedestrian safety.

President of Living Streets Andy Smith says, "Now the Cycle Safety Panel has made it's final report we can see some improvement for cyclists. We want the same approach used to address the universal and free mode of transport - walking.”

About Living Streets
Living Streets Aotearoa is New Zealand’s national walking and pedestrian organisation, providing a positive voice for people on foot and working to promote walking friendly planning and development around the country. Our vision is “More people choosing to walk more often and enjoying public places”.

The objectives of Living Streets Aotearoa are:
• to promote walking as a healthy, environmentally-friendly and universal means of transport and recreation
• to promote the social and economic benefits of pedestrian-friendly communities
• to work for improved access and conditions for walkers, pedestrians and runners including walking surfaces, traffic flows, speed and safety
• to advocate for greater representation of pedestrian concerns in national, regional and urban land use and transport planning.

For more information, please see: www.livingstreets.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media