Walking and cycling awards attract wide range of projects

The announcement of the winners of the 2012 awards for walking and cycling friendly projects will be one of the highlights of this week’s national 2WalkandCycle conference in Hastings.

The Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) Cycle Friendly awards will recognise government organisations, businesses, local groups and individuals who have contributed to making cycling easier and more fun around the country.

Living Streets Aotearoa, the national walking advocates, will also present their Golden Foot awards, which celebrate walking as an activity that each of us does on a daily basis.

Five Cycle Friendly and three Golden Foot awards will be handed out at a gala function in the Opera House theatre on Thursday night.

In addition, the presentation of the inaugural joint walking and cycling award will be the highlight of the evening. Four projects have been nominated as finalists in this category, which rewards a project, promotion or facility that enables people to walk or cycle more often for recreational and /or utility purposes.

The finalists are:

• Hastings District Council’s i-Way model communities project
• Dept of Conservation and NZTA, Fox and Franz Josef glaciers access project
• New Plymouth District Council’s Let’s Go - Walk Ride Bus
• New Plymouth District Council Bell Block Path

Conference convenor Glen Koorey says “The awards will be one of the highlights of what promises to be an amazing conference that has drawn exciting speakers from across the country and around the world. Making walking and cycling easy and fun is the way of the future and this conference will put forward some new and exciting options to help towns and cities become less dependent on vehicle transport.”

A full list of the award nominees is available at http://www.2walkandcycle.org.nz

The 2WalkandCycle conference is being held in Hastings from Wednesday 22nd to until Friday February 24th.

Around 200 delegates will hear nearly 80 presentations covering a range of topics on how to better plan and provide for walking and cycling in New Zealand.