NSW will set an unprecedented target of doubling walking and cycling trips, with the release of the State’s first Active Transport Strategy.
Minister for Active Transport Rob Stokes said the release of the Strategy, together with a submission to Infrastructure Australia for Commonwealth investment in walking and cycling infrastructure, demonstrates the NSW Government’s commitment to making daily life better for local families and communities across the state.
“NSW is the nation’s leading jurisdiction for walking and cycling investment. But with two million car trips of less than two kilometres in Sydney every day, there’s clearly much more to do,” Mr Stokes said.
“That’s why this strategy sets out ambitious, long term targets for more active transport infrastructure, to double the estimated 1.1 billion active transport trips and reduce pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths.
“The evidence is clear – if we are able to walk and cycle more often as part of our daily lives, it means more money spent in town centres and high streets and less money spent on transport costs or treating non-communicable disease.
“Our plans for strategic cycleway corridors across Greater Sydney are just as city shaping as the major public transport and road initiatives underway. That’s why we’re asking the Commonwealth to invest in our plans to benefit millions of Sydneysiders.”
The Active Transport Strategy includes five key ambitions with 64 actions:
- Create walkable and connected 15-minute neighbourhoods across NSW to increase the percentage of short trips on foot and decrease those by car.
- Deliver more than 1,000 kilometres of new cycleways and supporting infrastructure for continuous and connected cycling networks.
- Double the number of children walking or riding to school in major centres across NSW.
- Halve deaths and reduce serious injuries by 30 per cent for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Modernise active transport regulation by cutting unnecessary red tape and simplifying planning and design standards.
This year the NSW Government provided a record $117 million to 283 local active transport projects through the Get NSW Active program. The NSW Government is also investing $60 million in a continuous foreshore link from Parramatta to Sydney.
View the Active Transport Strategy.
