Melbourne Papers
How can we get doctors to talk the talk so their patients can walk the walk?
Alice Murkies, Ms Melinda Brown , Brighton Medical Clinic, Reitai Minogue, Central Bayside General Practice Asociation Pty Ltd., Victoria, Susie Strain, Sustainable Transport Planner , Metropolitan Transport Forum, Victoria
Summary: To conduct an audit within a general practice assessing the number of physical activity prescriptions or assessments conducted over two years. Background The physical activity prescription is a computer generated prescription. It was Commonwealth Government developed and officially launched in 2005. Its aim is to facilitate and value add the medical practitioner's encouragement of physical activity as an integral element of health and prevention of chronic disease. The importance of physical activity regarding heart disease and diabetes management, osteoarthritis and cancer prevention is given additional weight by being able to be printed as a prescription. In fact in my opinion it is of equal weight to a pharmaceutical preparation as part of the management of chronic disease. The prescription is available to be printed from every computer at every doctor consultation. ... More
Humanised streets - the context for successful place making
Louise Duggan, CABE Space
Summary: CABE believes that the way we design and regulate our streets and civic spaces needs to be rethought. We believe that well designed streets and civic spaces deliver successful places. Successful places look good, are flexible and work for the whole community. Inclusive design delivers places that work for the whole community. However, our experience tells us that inclusive design issues are often sidelined in the production of streets and civic spaces. Having identified these interrelated issues, CABE recently initiated a process of dialogue and debate between experts in street design, inclusive design, risk and disability. The main aim of this process is to identify the common ground around what we all want from streets and civic spaces and to establish clear thinking on the strategies available for achieving these common goals. It will also inform CABEs evolving programmes of work on inclusive design and streets and civic spaces. This paper contrasts the European and the English context. It outlines the need for this work, it explains the structure of the study, describes the process and it reports the findings to date. ... More
Improving local access: a new program of demonstration projects
Tim Patton Acting Director, Walking and Cycling Branch Department of Infrastructure, Victoria
Summary: The purpose of this paper is to describe a new program recently announced by the Victorian Government. The Local Area Access Demonstration Program (LAADP) will provide funding for a substantial number of small-scale projects, to be developed and delivered by local government in conjunction with the Victorian Department of Infrastructure (DOI). The projects will typically provide infrastructure works to overcome local barriers to walking, cycling or public transport access. They will include improvements in urban design and amenity, with better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and greater connectivity in walking and cycling routes. The broad aim of these “demonstration projects” is to improve access to activity centres, community services, modal interchanges and other key attractions within local areas - particularly for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. Over 40% of trips within the Melbourne metropolitan area are less than 2 km long, and almost two-thirds are less than 5 km long. Yet even for short trips, car is currently the dominant mode. By providing infrastructure and facilities that will make access easier by walking, cycling or public transport, it may be possible to gain significant shifts in travel behaviour. The demonstration projects will test this proposition in a very practical way. ... More
Increasing children's safety as walkers
Joan Adams, Liz Knight
Summary: A number of factors influence an individual's choice to walk or use some other means of travel. These include the distance to be covered, the time available, the weight to be carried, and the weather. If the individual is a child, other factors come into play. In addition to those mentioned above: a child is also subject to family attitudes and fears and prejudices. Efforts to identify the reasons why so many families prefer their children to be driven to school or early childhood centres suggest that in addition to work and lifestyle factors, parents perceive their children to be at risk of harm in the street. The harm stems chiefly from traffic and strangers, though dogs are also perceived by some parents as harmful. This paper will expose the real risks posed by traffic to children and ways safety can be improved. Analysis of ABS unintentional injury data (1999-2003) shows road related fatalities account for 32% of all non-intentional deaths of children aged 0 to 5 years (pre-school age) and 66% of those aged 6-12 years (primary school age). In Victoria during the period 2000-2004, 21 pedestrians aged 0-12 years were killed, 400 were seriously injured and more than 600 received other injuries. ... More
Involving trip generators to promote walking: Transport Access Guides
Chloe Mason and Gabrielle Kuiper
Summary: Advocates for walking and active travel share a critical analysis of the mainstream approach to communicating about 'getting there': typically information is given in the form a street address and the presumption of mainstream culture is that people will arrive by car. This car-dependent approach damages us all. This paper will present an innovative communication tool - the Transport Access Guide - for organisations to use to encourage people to reach their site or venue by walking or walking in combination with public transport and cycling. Transport Access Guides show people how to reach a site by providing information customized to the users' needs for the event or type of venue, e.g. conference, TAFE college, Job Network office, and health centre (known technically as 'trip generators'). A transport access guide from a host organisation: overcomes the information deficit about getting there, de-stabilises the dominant assumption of driving as the only way to go and enable the people who walk and use active travel, the 'positive deviants', to influence their peer group. ... More
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