Evaluation of the Wagga Wagga Active Travel Plan
A network of new shared paths for walking and cycling in the NSW regional town of Wagga Wagga is about to be put under the microscope.
This research will analyse the impacts and outcomes of the Wagga Wagga Active Travel Plan on transport integration, travel mode switching, user preferences and behaviours, city connectedness, micromobility, traffic and parking congestion, health and social wellbeing, and other community benefits.
An innovative approach allowed the construction of an integrated 57 kilometre-long active travel network within two years.
Project background
Planning for Australia’s future requires increasing investment in sustainable transport, not only in capital cities but also in growing regional centres.
Regional areas in Australia are central to relieving the pressure of future population growth, so planning for this requires transport strategies which consider sustainability needs and support for well-functioning communities.
Wagga Wagga is the largest inland city in NSW, with a population of 65,000 which is expected to increase to over 80,000 by 2040.
Transport solutions for growing regional centres like Wagga Wagga will require an integrated system of mobility options which meet current and future demand.
Regional centres remain primarily automobile-centric but support for active travel in Wagga Wagga is high and sustainable transport is a key community concern.
Wagga Wagga City Council received $11.3 million in 2018 from the NSW Cycling Infrastructure Fund managed by Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to construct a 45 kilometre-long active travel infrastructure network in the town.
Subsequently in 2020, Council received an additional $3.6 million in funding from the NSW Government to expand the project by 12 kilometres and contributed an additional $325,000 to secure this funding. This represents the largest network of new, high quality, safe and accessible shared walking and cycling links ever constructed within a short timeframe in regional NSW.
The project comprises 57 kilometres of new or resurfaced shared path infrastructure plus interchange upgrades. This network connects cycling and walking infrastructure to education facilities and workplaces, including within one block of 90 per cent of schools in Wagga Wagga.
It was extended to the TAFE and Charles Sturt University campuses, and to key workplace destinations including the business district, two Australian Defence Force bases, two hospitals, Council chambers and the local Transport for NSW office.
The shared path network will be widely promoted to the community to maximise use with a goal of providing equitable access to safe walking and cycling options for the entire community, including safe active travel for disabled and mobile older Australians.
The research project
The research project aims to provide evidence of the short to medium-term changes and benefits of the Active Travel Plan, as well as enable longer-term benefits to be estimated. It will also provide information about the success of efforts to:
- promote the active travel network to the community
- increase community knowledge and understanding of the opportunities it provides
- overcome remaining barriers to use; and
- build community engagement with the infrastructure.
This evaluation will add significantly to the evidence base on active transport planning and implementation in Australia.
Specifically, the project will provide critical data to inform policies for NSW regional towns and councils seeking to improve infrastructure for active travel.
It will also provide essential evidence for TfNSW in planning and funding other infrastructure projects through providing evidence of the project impacts and outcomes.
Ultimately, this research will contribute to national and international knowledge about the outcomes and benefits of active transport infrastructure development.
Project objectives
The primary objectives of this research project are to:
- Design and implement a comprehensive outcome evaluation to measure the impacts and outcomes of implementation of the Wagga Wagga Active Travel Plan walking and cycling infrastructure.
- Implement measures to evaluate the Active Travel Plan as intended, including addressing barriers to uptake.
- Apply appropriate multi-component research and evaluation methods and undertake expert data analysis to provide the most robust information on the outcomes and wider benefits of the active travel network for the community.
- Develop an active travel impact measurement framework which incorporates transport and wider community outcomes for benchmarking future active travel interventions in Australia.
- Share and disseminate the findings of the evaluation to all stakeholders to ensure the findings are relevant and useful for government policy makers, local councils and others.
UPDATE: 3 March 2022
Wagga Wagga City Council released a second survey, looking for community feedback cycling and the city’s new cycling infrastructure.
“We’re interested to find out if people are using the pathways to cycle, walk or run, how their habits may have changed in the last 12 months, and whether more people are jumping on the bike with their kids on the weekend, or leaving their car at home to cycle to work,” said Ben Creighton, the council’s Strategic Asset Planner (Parks and Recreation).
“We’re keen to hear from cyclists and non-cyclists alike because we’re also interested in why some people might be hesitant to start riding and see if there’s something we can do to address that.”
This anonymous survey takes 10 minutes to complete, and closes at 5pm, 31 March 2022. The survey can be found at the Wagga Wagga iMOVE Cycleway Community Survey page.
UPDATE: 16 June 2022
The project is in full swing and data collection has commenced. The Wagga Wagga City Council released a second community survey in March, 2022 as a follow up to the first community survey in March 2021. The results of the surveys are currently being analysed by the University of Sydney research team.
Key workplaces around Wagga Wagga are being contacted and participating in interviews, online surveys and focus groups. These will allow the research team to gather insights into the impact of the Active Travel Plan on staff within these workplaces and the enablers and barriers to using the network for work-related active travel purposes.
The research team are also contacting schools around Wagga Wagga and are interested in talking in more detail with the principal and senior teachers within these schools about their experiences with and knowledge of the Active Travel Plan and the impact of the network of paths on their students and staff.
Ongoing data collections from cycleway counters across the network and observations of the use of end-of-trip facilities within workplaces, educational institutions, schools and across the CBD are also occurring.
UPDATE: April 2023
An update from the research team.
“We are entering the final phase of data collection for the project, which will continue until the end of 2023. The Wagga Wagga City Council released the third, and final, community survey in March 2023 as a follow up to the first two community surveys rolled out in March 2021 and 2022. The results of the surveys are currently being analysed by the University of Sydney research team.
As we move into the middle of the year, staff within key workplaces around Wagga Wagga will again be contacted to participate in interviews and focus groups as a follow-up to those completed in 2022. These will allow the research team to develop an understanding of any changes that have occurred over the previous 12 months that have impacted on workplace related enablers and barriers to using the network for active commuting purposes.
We will also be following up with participating schools around Wagga Wagga to gather insights on any changes that have occurred over the previous 12 months in relation to use of the network or the development of active travel infrastructure within the school.
The research team will also be contacting key informants across a number of different sectors within the community, including health, business, tourism, government and social support services. We are interested in talking in more detail with the key informants about the role, uptake and use of the network, active travel and active recreation from a broad community perspective.
Later in the year we will again be out on the shared pathways conducting visual observations of users and intercept surveys. This data collection allows us to collect valuable information on how the network is being used and by whom as well as allowing us to gather feedback on user experiences. Lastly, ongoing data collections from cycleway counters across the network and observations of the use of end-of-trip facilities within workplaces, schools and across the CBD will also continue in the final phase of data collection.”
Final report
This project has been completed, and its final report is now available. A wrap-up of the project, and a downloadable copy of the final report, can be found at: Impacts & community benefits of a regional active travel network
Watch the webinar
On 23 July 2024 iMOVE held a webinar in which outcomes from this project were presented. Watch a recording of the webinar at: How to encourage active travel uptake
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