A new campaign launching in the capital today (Tuesday 23 February) is reminding pedestrians to stay aware of their surroundings when crossing the road.

Wellington City Council has developed posters and social media posts which feature playful characters with oversized heads asking people to ‘be aware’, ‘hold your horses’, ‘keep an eye out’ and ‘stay tuned’.

The ‘heads’ characters are out in the central city today to raise public awareness of the campaign which will run for the next three years. Posters have already started to go up in the central city area.

The messages and colourful graphics are designed to make people aware of staying safe when crossing the road rather than focusing on their destination or getting distracted by other things.

The Council’s pedestrian awareness campaigns are part of road safety planning that is developed with the Police, ACC and Greater Wellington Regional Council. Local councils can also access funding from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s road safety and education fund.

Pedestrian crashes*, while trending down**, continue to remain a high priority for Wellington, particularly in the central city.

Every day Wellingtonians negotiate streets and laneways on foot, by bike and in vehicles without incident, but evidence shows that when crashes* do occur, a significant factor is the failure of people involved to look and acknowledge the intentions of the other road users.

One of the Council’s long-term strategies is a connected, people-centred and dynamic central city, and this can be achieved through providing an efficient and safe transport system.

The Council is also committed to the Government’s Road to Zero Vision: a New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes.

Total budget for the campaign across the 2020-21 year is $60K – covering design, production, placement, and evaluation – costs in future years will be lower with only minor changes likely to be required based on feedback.

A single fatality is estimated to cost $5.37 million by the Ministry of Transport.

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