INTEGRATION OF ACTIVE TRANSPORT AND ROAD SAFETY FOR CHILDREN Road Safety Education Workshop Friday 19 October 2007

Overview Physical Activity Unit & ‘Go for your life’ Overview Policy Context Active Transport for Children – current landscape Active Transport and Road Safety Challenges

Physical Activity Unit Sport & Recreation Victoria ‘Go for your life’ Walk Together Grants ‘Go for your life’ Physical Activity Grants ‘Go for your life’ Active Connections Program Flagship Projects

‘Go for your life’ Overview Cross-governmental funding initiatives designed to actively increase physical activity participation, healthy eating & community engagement Promotion through active public campaign DPCDDHS DSEDEECD DPC

‘Go for your life’ Strategy Plan Longer term vision Victoria will be a world leader in the development of healthy and active communities. Medium term goal To improve the health and wellbeing of Victorian through healthy eating and increased participation in physical activity. Objectives Healthy Eating Physical Activity Structural changes to support healthy eating and physical activity

Policy Context ‘Go for your life’ Strategy Plan –Physical activity & obesity –Structural supportive changes (infrastructure, environment) –Commitment to regular physical activity for children A State of Walking (DPCD) –Walking for transport –Safe and accessible transport system – Connected, Comfortable, Convenient, Convivial, Conspicuous?

Policy Context Meeting Our Transport Challenges (DOI) –Biggest commitment to bicycle and pedestrian paths in the state’s history –Extending & improving walking options by increasing number of pedestrian signals, refuge islands, fencing etc. –Improving cycling routes in regional Victoria Arrive Alive! - Vicroads –5-year road safety strategy –Focus on speed limits/zones –Education resources & pedestrian training for children

Policy Context Growing Victoria Together (GVT) –Increase in walking/cycling will contribute to GVT goals of community participation, lowering greenhouse emissions, decreasing motorised trips and improving the health and quality of life for all Victorians Victorian Greenhouse Strategy (DSE) –A need for change in travel behaviour –Reduced dependency on car –Increase in non-motorised modes of transport

What is Active Transport? “Active transport relates to physical activity undertaken as a means of transport. It includes travel by foot, bicycle and other non-motorised vehicles. Use of public transport is also included in the definition as it often involves some walking or cycling to pick-up and from drop-off points. Active transport does not include walking, cycling or other physical activity that is undertaken for recreation.” Be Active Australia: A Framework for Health Sector Action for Physical Activity

Active Transport Active Transport: Walking or cycling to and from a destination An effective way of building the “30 minutes a day” of physical activity into daily routine Changing the environment (schools, routes) to make it more conductive for children to walk/ride to school – and changing the behaviours of children, parents & teachers

Active Transport – environmental benefits If 60 per cent of children were walking or cycling to school annually, Victorian children would have walked 45 million kilometres – that’s 60 trips to the moon and back! Based on these figures, there would be a reduction of 8,500 Tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in Victoria – that’s equivalent to taking almost 2,000 cars off the road for an entire year. Over time the tool will also measure the economic benefits of reductions in traffic congestion and pollution and increased road safety benefits. VicHealth

‘Go for your life’ Ride2School Program To increase the number of students walking or riding to school 530 schools have joined (21% of all Victorian schools) Breaks down barriers to riding and walking to school through BikeEd, quiet neighbourhood routes etc. Advocacy role Infrastructure – bike sheds

‘Go for your life’ Ride2School Program Safety Elements BikeEd Quiet Neighbourhood Routes Linking schools with police Curriculum materials

VicHealth Walking School Bus A VicHealth initiative to give communities an effective and easy way to get children walking to school 60 Victorian local councils have implemented WSB 6584 children walked to school in May 2007 as a result of the WSB Program Infrastructure & advocacy

Other Programs TravelSmart Schools – Department of Infrastructure Aims to reduce people’s dependency on cars and persuade them to choose sustainable travel alternatives, i.e. public transport, walking and cycling – School Travel Planning Arrive Alive – Kids on the Move Victoria’s new traffic safety education resource for primary schools, targeting a minimum level of traffic safety education for Prep-Year 2 students and transitional Years 6-7 students.

Other Programs Kids Go for your life – Stride & Ride KGFYL is a statewide initiative to create healthier Victorian children through healthy eating & physical activity. Stride & Ride aims to increase active transport for primary school children – implemented Jan-June 2008

Integration of Programs Ride2School Walking School Bus BikeEd Green Light Project Pedal Pods TravelSmart Arrive Alive!

A Local Snapshot – Latrobe City Council 2 Ride2School schools 4 Walking School Bus schools 6 schools in Walk to School Challenge 6 schools in Kids GFYL 26 schools have BikeEd 1 TravelSmart school

Integration of Walking and Cycling DPCD-led initiative to integrate Walking & Cycling agencies and priorities to develop a cooperative approach to Walking & Cycling in Victoria A key avenue to addressing safety risks – combining walking & cycling strategies enables safety risks to be addressed Wide range of stakeholders Facilitator will be brought in to develop a long-term integrated approach and round table series

Active Transport and Road Safety International experience indicates that an increase in the levels of cycling does not automatically translate into an increase in crash rates. In fact, in many areas, more people riding bikes has contributed to greater awareness amongst other road users and reduced crash rates” Queensland Cycle Strategy 2003

Children Bicyclists – some statistics < 1 death per annum on average 753 hospital admissions 2,407 Emergency Department presentations 6% of all child injuries Preventing Unintentional injury in Victorian children aged 0-14 years: a call to action Monash University 2007

Preventive Measures & Recommendations Safety training courses Support evidence-based training programs to teach bicycling skills and safe cycling Provide safe and accessible bike routes Promote measures to increase the visibility of child cyclists Consider road safety regulations that set a lower age limit for on-road bicycle riding

Challenges Parents Parents allowing their children to walk/ride to school Deakin Uni survey (Ride2School) – 28% of parents cited safety as a major reason they drove their children to school

Challenges Focus of Schools Approach schools with a suite of programs rather than multiple approaches from independent programs = streamlined programs

Challenges Conflicting Agendas Large number of agencies involved in Walking & Cycling with individualised agendas Challenge is to coordinate these agendas and emerge with an integrated approach

Challenges Infrastructure Do we have adequate infrastructure to cope with the increase of walkers and cyclists? The Greenlight Project – redirecting pedestrian priority at signalised crossings

The Way Forward … Integration of Walking and Cycling Funding programs Focus on the benefits of active transport and creating supportive environments Closer collaboration between agencies

Brent Phillips Senior Project Officer – Physical Activity Sport and Recreation Victoria Department of Planning and Community Development