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Walk to work everyday
On Wednesday 11 March we celebrated Walk2Work Day, New Zealand's national day to celebrate walking as a part of our daily life. Those people walking to work through the K-Road area were able to stop off for a breakfast nibble hosted by Living Streets Aotearoa. They were also able to find out more about the progress of the K-Road upgrade project.
Despite the rain, we caught up with many happy people on their way to work. Michael Richardson from K-Road Road Business Association shared these thoughts with us: “Karangahape Road is a place that people get to use all modes of transport. Walking and cycling give people the opportunity to really experience the community as they come to, or pass through, Karangahape Road. And Walk2Work Day is a fantastic way to encourage people to enjoy the wonderful experience of being able to walk through our fantastic street on their way to work and stop to have a coffee of breakfast with us”.
But we don’t want to just encourage walking on Walk2Work Day. There’s plenty of research to show that people who commute by walking have better overall mental health, experience less stress and arrive to work more focused. No matter what time of day, even just walking for 15 minutes will help stimulate the growth of new brain cells. A good reason to walk every day!
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Changes to city centre access and bus routes
Aotea Station is likely to become Auckland’s busiest train station once the City Rail Link opens, and construction of the new station is now underway! To allow for construction, the intersection of Wellesley Street, Albert Street, and Mayoral Drive is now closed to vehicles until early 2021. Access through the area will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists, however, several bus routes have been diverted. To assist the flow of buses, several new 24/7 bus lanes are now in place and a higher priority has been given to buses at certain intersections. If you come into the city centre for work, study, shopping or entertainment, plan ahead – there could be a better way to travel.
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Some NX2 services have been extended to Hibiscus Coast Station (HCS). There are nine weekday morning services starting at HCS and eight afternoon peak services going through to HCS.
In addition, there are two late-night services leaving from Wellesley Street (AUT City Campus) at 11.30pm and midnight, Monday to Sunday. These services provide a great option for Hibiscus Coast residents wanting to access the universities or upper city area.
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Northwestern Path extension to Westgate is now openZero-emission and efficiency benefits for local businesses
An early Christmas present was gratefully received by hundreds of cyclists when a 3-metre wide 3.5km extension to the hugely popular Northwestern path was opened on 19 December 2019. Particularly with the rise in e-bike sales, the extension allows those riding bikes to journey from Westgate all the way into the city and connect to local paths. While the Northwestern path is heavily used by commuters and recreational riders, local businesses are also seeing the benefits. Chris Lange, the director of 1st Class Gardens utilises an e-bike and trailer to access customers. Chris says, “Cycling fits well with our business focus on sustainability. We already use zero-emission tools and an electric van, so creating a way of doing more by bike was the next step for us. Building the trailer gives us the option of doing more tasks such as lawn mowing and errands in our local area. Doing more by bike means less time wasted waiting in a queue of cars. Too many businesses waste time just waiting to get between jobs.” The extension to the path not only enables greater access and time savings but allows businesses to showcase they are considering the climate and the community in how they go about their business.
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This February was an incredible Aotearoa Bike Challenge. Leading the charge was our Sustainable Mobility team which ran over 40 events and activities across the month! A record number of 618 active organisations took part this year, up 23% from last year. They brought with them 5941 active participants, collectively logging 1.2 million km across the month. A special shout out to our category winners, the University of Auckland, Panuku, Jasmax, dtr, Metermaster and NetPotential, who put in extraordinary efforts to encourage people in their workplaces onto their bikes.
Over $15,000 was raised by our riders for Variety – The Children’s Charity, providing over 60 bikes to disadvantaged kids in Auckland. Thanks everyone for making this our best Challenge yet.
February also recorded the biggest numbers of cycle movements across the city ever. 408,000 cycle movements were recorded across the month in total which is an 11% increase compared to February 2019. We’re so pleased to see so many more riders experiencing the joy that being on two wheels can bring. Let’s keep the cycling momentum up as we approach cooler and shorter days: check out all these reasons to keep riding.
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Get Future Fit in 2020
FutureFit, a gamified carbon footprint tool, lets you discover your impact on Papatūānuku (the planet) and provides personalised tips to reduce it. As transport often makes up a large portion of our carbon footprints, this tool can show how our individual actions on a daily basis can collectively add up to make a big difference.
There are free resources online for small businesses, community groups, and schools. Large corporates can sign up for the FutureFit in business package which includes a private reporting dashboard, launch strategy, marketing, and communications collateral and 12-month programme to keep staff engaged.
Contact the FutureFit team at Auckland Council for more information.
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Experience Auckland’s City Centre Bike Network with a free guided e-bike tourBook a time now
Auckland Transport is offering you and staff at your business, the opportunity to experience Auckland’s cycleways in a free lunchtime, or after work e-bike guided ride. Each ride has a capacity of 5 – 8 riders, takes between 1-2 hours and covers some of central Auckland’s best-protected cycleways including Te Ara I Whiti (Pink Path), Grafton Gully, Beach Road and Quay Street.
The guided rides start from the Big Street Bikers Rechargery located at 18 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Viaduct Harbour. Alternatively, arrange for Big Street Bikers to come and meet you outside of your office. If you are interested in booking a time for your guided ride, simply email Big Street Bikers or book a ride here.
For these guided rides, prior bike-riding experience although not essential is recommended. If you have staff interested in beginner’s bike training you can check out AT’s other courses on our website.
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The Government is proposing rule changes to improve safety. The Accessible Streets Regulatory Package is designed to improve safety for footpath users, encourage active modes of transport, and support the creation of more liveable and vibrant towns and cities. Complete your feedback by 22 April 2020.
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