Media and Articles



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ARTICLE - 25 May 2012
Moreland Primary School Newsletter  


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ARTICLE - MORELAND LEADER - 14 May 2012








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PROMOTIONAL FLYER - 18 May 2012

Promotional Flyer for Walk Safely To School Day 2012


---------------------------------------------------------------------MEDIA RELEASE - 30 March 2012


Community Group ‘Walk On Moreland’ Seeks Improvements to Unsafe Pedestrian Crossing on Munro Street

Pedestrian advocacy group Walk On Moreland is raising community awareness and promoting action on improved infrastructure to improve the safety and enjoyment of walking in Moreland.

The group’s catchphrase ‘Walking in freedom is the essence of human dignity’ sums up their stance on pedestrian advocacy as an issue of democratic rights.

“The dangers in our streets [from cars] are present for all of us” says coordinator and local resident Nataniel Wolfson “however as a community we generally leave it to the pedestrians to take responsibility for avoiding these dangers. The most vulnerable is responsible for avoiding the most dangerous. And this is where Walk On Moreland draws the link between pedestrian advocacy and democratic rights.”

“Walking is fundamental to our wellbeing and happiness, yet almost everywhere we turn in our neighbourhoods, pedestrians feel like second class citizens” said Mr Wolfson.

The group especially highlights the experience of more vulnerable community members, such as children, the older people, or people with difficulty walking quickly or for long distances.

To illustrate the point, Mr Wolfson suggests an experiment: “Leave your house on a nice stroll during the day. See how long it takes until you need to look out for your own personal safety, for fear of being hit by a car. Or to have to negotiate your way around a light pole, a driveway, or a bin. Then put yourself in the shoes of someone who could only walk half your speed, had trouble with steps, or couldn't anticipate a car's movements. Now, try to cross a road.”

The group’s current focus is advocating for urgent safety improvements at the intersection of Munro Street, Railway Place and the Upfield Bike Path, in Coburg. Walk On Moreland has identified this location as a major safety problem spot, with recent observations by the group showing that every hour each afternoon about 200 pedestrians and cyclists attempt to cross between 1,500 cars.

To demonstrate the level of community support for improvements here, the group recently collected 150 signatures from concerned community members, which they have used to seek support from Council and local representatives.

A roadside community meeting will be held at the Munro Street railway crossing on Wednesday 11th April to promote the need for urgent safety improvements. The goal is to raise community awareness and support for installation of a safe crossing such as traffic lights at this intersection. Walk On Moreland invites all interested community members to drop past and add their support.

Join Walk On Moreland at the intersection of Munro Street, Railway Place and the Upfield Bike Path on Wednesday 11th April 2012 from 3.30-5.30pm or visit our website walkonmoreland.blogspot.com.au or Facebook page for further details.

Media Contact: Nataniel Wolfson, Coordinator, Walk On Moreland, walkonmoreland@gmail.com, ph 0405354570.


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EXTENDED INTERVIEW - 29 March 2012



Interview with Walk On Moreland Coordinator Nataniel Wolfson, 29 March 2012


Q. Why did you start Walk on Moreland?
Walk On Moreland was started to improve pedestrian safety at targeted locations, and to support a walking culture throughout Moreland.

Walking is so fundamental to our wellbeing and happiness, yet almost everywhere we turn in our neighbourhoods, pedestrians are made to feel like second class citizens. Our streets and public environments are so often so un-enjoyable and even un-safe to walk in. Car traffic, road designs, and driver behaviour make everyday walking unpleasant at best, and dangerous at worst. And this is especially true for our more vulnerable friends, such as the elderly, children, people who have difficulty walking quickly or for long distances, and people using wheelchairs, prams, shopping trolleys, etc.

Everything in our urban street environment has been designed for a purpose. Look around your streets at the kerb & channels, the street signs, timing of traffic lights, road widths, the surfaces, radius of street corners, placement of light poles, etc etc. The problem we face is that generally that design purpose is to move traffic, without interruption, and often at the expense of our pedestrian amenity. In many cases this is a legacy of past practices, and contemporary professionals do recognise the importance of pedestrian-oriented design. However the critical decision makers who are deciding the priorities for design and expenditure in our urban environments, what they need is the community support to do this according to our values, ie with a human and pedestrian focus.

One of our key inspirations, Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Columbia, describes the need for high quality pedestrian infrastructure as a matter of principle, rather than of science. There is no technical formula for the width of an enjoyable footpath, for example. Why shouldn't the footpath be 10 metres wide? It is a matter of community values.

Try an experiment - leave your house on a nice stroll during the day, especially during the morning or afternoon peak. You could be walking to work or to get some milk. See how long it takes you until you need to look out for your own personal safety, for fear of being hit by a car. Or to have to negotiate your way around a light pole, light pole, driveway, or a bin. Then put yourself in the shoes of someone who could only walk half your speed, had trouble with steps, or couldn't anticipate a car's movements. Now, try to cross a road.

Our experience of the danger in the street environment is amplified when we suddenly become more vulnerable. In fact the dangers are present for all of us, however we have come to accept that it is the pedestrian's own responsibility to avoid these dangers. The least vulnerable is responsible for avoiding the most dangerous. And this is a crazy situation.

Q. What do you hope to achieve?
Ultimately, a genuine reappraisal of the importance of a first-class walking environment in Moreland. This is all the more important as more people move in to the area, which in the right environment has a massive potential to contribute to the vibrancy we all love about Moreland. Walking should be the preferred way to get from A to B, and for this we need to meet several criteria: 1. Safety 2. Convenience 3. Comfort 4. Fun.

Q. What have you done so far?
To achieve our vision we're focussing our attention on 'Walking Improvement Hotspots', starting with the intersection of Munro Street, Railway Place, and the Upfield Bike Path. We’re advocating for the installation of a safe pedestrian and cycle crossing (eg traffic lights) at this intersection.

This is a very busy and dangerous crossing, with lots of people and bikes crossing to go to Coburg station, Coburg shops, or further up the bike path. Each hour every afternoon we've got about 200 pedestrians and bikes trying to cross over 1,500 cars, which is an awful situation.

So far we've collected 150 signatures in support of urgent action here, and used these in correspondence with Councillors, State MPs and VicRoads to request their support for action.

Q. What are you doing next?
We're pushing hard for action on the Munro Street crossing in the lead-up to Council elections this October. We're also looking to leverage from the Munro Street experience to support Council & others to implement more radical pedestrian-oriented design and investment throughout the municipality, including wider footpaths, more crossings, slower speed limits, and more speed enforcement.

Q. How can people get involved?
People can start by just observing the designs of streets in their local area, and asking themselves the question - was this street designed for people, or designed for cars? If this leaves you frustrated, visit our website to:
  1. Jump on board our Munro Street campaign by signing a petition or writing a letter, or come to the Munro Street crossing on Wednesday 11 April.
  2. Become a supporter of Walk On Moreland and join our mailing list,
  3. Talk to us about starting your own campaign in your neighbourhood under the Walk On Moreland banner,
Q. How can people find out more?
Take a look at walkonmoreland.blogspot.com.au or ‘Like’ us on Facebook, or come to the Munro Street/ Railway Place/ Upfield Bike Path crossing from 3.30-5.30pm on Wednesday 11 April 2012.


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