Draft GPS - Living Streets needed not roading corridors of death

Pedestrian advocacy group, Living Streets Aotearoa, is calling for a more sensible approach to transport than that represented by the Government Policy Statement issued on Monday.

Living Streets Aotearoa President, Andy Smith, says the GPS simply continues the obsession this government has with multi-lane highways and motorways instead of changing the balance to put healthier, happier, cleaner, more economically-rational active and public modes of transport first.

“The increase in walking, cylcing and public trasnport use that would result from higher investment in those modes would achieve the government's objective of freeing up road space for freight and business vehicles without requiring the never-ending massive capital and operational expenditure to expand, renew and maintain more roads.”

“The next generation is choosing smarter ways to conduct their lives than to spend hours driving and we need to ensure the roading environment is one that is safe for them to get about by walking and cycling and by taking the bus or train.”

“The obvious place to start is near schools and other busy places like shopping precincts, sportsfields and hospitals using variable or permanent lower speed limits. International best practice is for speeds to not exceed 30km/h near these locations. The Government is to be commended for the effort it has put into its Safer Journeys Strategy but now it needs to make bolder moves to create a more considerate driving culture in NZ.”

“Lower speed limits in certain places is the most obvious way to do so. If people feel less endangered as pedestrians and cyclists, they'll be more likely to walk and cycle. That will pay dividends through the health budget as well as well as our transport budget. It's a great shame the GPS has put so little to the modes of transport that should be getting the lions share of funding.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media