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Neighbourhood Accessibility Planning (NAP) is a community-based programme coordinated by Hamilton City Council with the support of the New Zealand Transport Agency and other groups. NAP projects began early in 2004 in Nelson, Papatoetoe, Rotorua and South Dunedin and are now widespread across our country. The aim of the programme is to help communities to improve the quality and safety of walking and cycling networks as well as the accessibility of public transport, within a selected neighbourhood.
The project begins with data collection and community consultation to identify safety and access problems experienced by pedestrians, cyclists and shared mode users (which include those using mobility scooters, wheelchairs, and access to car pools and public transport).
The end product is a list of actions, specifically tailored to the neighbourhood’s issues, which are prioritised and agreed to by the community. These actions could include new pedestrian and cycling facilities, promotional initiatives, education and enforcement campaigns, environmental improvements, policy changes or any other remedial actions that will improve or increase the community’s ability to walk, cycle or use shared modes of transport.
The main principles of this process are that they:
- bring together key stakeholders to collaborate in addressing safety and access issues
- rely on community participation in identifying risks, developing solutions and implementing these solutions
- involve and engage all relevant local authority teams
- are data and risk analysis based
- develop and implement an integrated package of engineering/environmental improvements, enforcement, policy, encouragement and educational interventions that will address the identified issues
- involve evaluation that ensures measurement of the implementation actions.
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Current Programme
Hamilton East has been selected for the current NAP project. The study area can be viewed by clicking the link below.
Hamilton East Neighbourhood Accessibility Plan - Study Area Plan
Investigation has been completed and using this information, issues that affect the quality and safety of pedestrian, cycle and shared mode networks within the study area have been identified. These have been complied into a report which can be downloaded by clicking the link below:
Hamilton East Neighbourhood Accessibility Plan - Investigation Report
The next step required to progress the NAP is to take these identified issues and prioritise them in order of importance and validity as well as brainstorming solutions. Solutions may incorporate promotional, educational, enforcement, policy, environmental and engineering actions. A meeting with members of the community is to be held on Wednesday the 2nd of November 2011 at 5.30pm at Waimarie: Hamilton East Community House which is located at 53 Wellington Street, Hamilton East. Please feel welcome to attend this meeting. |
