Lake Macquarie City Council is encouraging residents to get out and get walking with a free public forum and walkshops this March.
Council’s Manager Integrated Planning, Sharon Pope, said the community have made it clear how much they value walking and cycling in Lake Macquarie City.
“During engagement with our community, opportunities for walking and cycling around the City are two themes that arise often,” Ms Pope said.
“To improve the way Council makes decisions on where, when and how we provide new footpaths and cycle ways, we’ve invited international walking expert, Dr Rodney Tolley to lead a program of free walkshops in town centres across the City in early March.
“Then on Wednesday 8 March, Dr Tolley will be joined by urban strategist, Steven Burgess for a free public forum and panel discussion on what makes a place walkable and how we can improve walkability in Lake Macquarie.”
Interested members of the community are welcome to attend both the walkshops and the forum, however places are limited for all events. To register your interest, visit eventbrite.com.au.
Public forum and panel discussion
Dr Rodney Tolley and Steven Burgess will deliver their keynote addresses on what makes places walkable, drawing on their experience to offer insights for Lake Macquarie and the Hunter, followed by a discussion that explores how we can plan and design to deliver better active transport outcomes.
When: Wednesday 8 March, 9.30am-noon
Where: Lake Macquarie Performing Arts Centre
Walkshops: Creating walkability in Lake Macquarie town centres
Hit the pavement for an interactive walkshop in the town centre to experience the local walking environment firsthand. Walking distance is approximately 2-3km so bring comfortable shoes.
Toronto Library 6 March, 1-3.30pm
Belmont Library 7 March, 9.30am-noon
Charlestown Library 7 March, 2-4.30pm
Meet the experts
Dr Rodney Tolley is the Conference Director of Walk21, a not-for-profit organisation that raises international awareness of walking issues and supports professionals in the delivery of best practice. Dr Tolley has been central to the development of the International Charter on Walking. Lake Macquarie City Council became a signatory of the Charter in 2015. Dr Tolley has extensive experience in leading workshops, walkabouts and master-classes in walkability, accessibility, wayfinding and pedestrian amenity in public spaces and streets.
Steven Burgess is a transport and traffic engineer with an extensive mix of public and private sector experience. He is the principal author of the book Complete Streets – Guidelines to Urban Street Design published in 2010. Having worked extensively on the long-term relationships between urban form, transport, parking, and vitality, Steven has been at the forefront of private and public sector collaboration on revitalisation.
