There have been so many numbers communicated to us on a daily basis during the Covid-19 lockdown. Everyday, many New Zealanders tuned to the 1 o’clock news to listen to the latest update from Dr Ashley Bloomfield and find out how many new Covid-19 cases there were.
Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward will be presenting two webinars in the coming weeks for Austroads, on "Creating places people enjoy: Guidance for designing pedestrian-friendly urban spaces".
Two years ago, my (Becky Tuke) car was written off on my way to graduation. While I had previously commuted by bike and bus quite regularly, it took a car crash to convince me that perhaps I could live without a car. I gave it a go for a month and have not looked back since. I have massively reduced my reliance on cars; however I cannot claim to be completely car-free, as I carpool with others sometimes and borrow a car on the odd occasion. Without being forced to try it, I am not sure that I would have committed to giving this a go.
Our Software Development team are currently participating in #HackForBetterDays, a virtual Hackathon organised by HERE Technologies in partnership with IBM, running from 24 April - 24 May 2020. HERE Technologies provide mapping, location data and other related services to business and individuals focused around a cloud-based platform.
You know the old saying “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone?” This struck me hard last week while observing a parent out biking with their three young kids. The look of sadness mixed with fear and disbelief on their faces two large trucks and several other vehicles raced past reminded me of what we lost in Level 3, in the excitement of being able to head out for fast food and coffee. It was pleasing to see that the family felt confident enough to ride on the road, but you couldn’t help but wonder how long they would continue doing so with the return of fast-moving traffic through the local streets.
As New Zealand heads out of Level 3 into Level 2, this gives us an opportunity to reflect on how this has affected our road networks at both Level 4 and Level 3. This follows up on our previous blog and is based on an assessment of a selection of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency traffic count data.
On 29 April 2020, our team ran a "Transport Today" webinar to share their knowledge of transport activities and opportunities across NZ that represent new information, technology and ways of thinking.
With the financial and economic impacts of Covid-19 still only starting to become apparent, central government and primary industries (agriculture, horticulture, seafood and forestry) are relatively unaffected by the global impacts of the pandemic. Government can extend its debt ceiling theoretically indefinitely, while primary industries feed, shelter and clothe the world.
The notion of what is possible in Transport Planning is currently being redefined. In recent weeks, cities and towns around the world have shown that significant change can happen everywhere and instantly, irrespective of local legal and administrative specificities. Temporary transport schemes have already transformed places and are laying the ground for more permanent change. Tactical Urbanism is the most visible sign of this trend, but the wider toolbox displayed by local authorities around the globe to allow physical distancing also includes less flashy changes.
We have all observed the increased number of people walking and cycling around our neighbourhoods during the lockdown. From the stories I have heard, people who haven’t previously walked or cycled much are loving it. The other day, a friend who lives nearby and doesn’t usually ride a bike, sent our family an SOS text asking “can I please borrow a bike, I want to cruise around”. It's awesome to see so many people actively getting out to explore their local area.
