A partnership between Western Australia’s fastest growing local authority and two State government departments is delivering some impressive – and moving – results.
The City of Wanneroo has joined forces with the Western Australia Departments of Transport and Sport and Recreation, and the Royal Automotive Club (RAC), to deliver a program devised to get more people physically active, walking, cycling and using public transport.
More than 10,500 households (approximately 20 percent of dwellings within the local government area) have signed up for the six-month Your Move Wanneroo program, with the program fully subscribed one week prior to its official launch in July 2015.
Each participant receives three coaching calls to help identify physical and active transport goals during the course of the program.
As well as encouraging residents to take up a more active and connected lifestyle, it also aims to reduce traffic on local roads.
These calls have already helped to identify more than 700 personalised transport journey plans and almost 1000 Smart Riders have been provided to participants to encourage a return to public transport.
A range of active travel-related infrastructure improvements, including two bike repair stations and new bike racks, bus shelters and public transport information modules will also be delivered as part of the Your Move program before the end of the year.
City of Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts has welcomed the initiative.
“Encouraging people to think about how they move around their community and also having the support to enable them to do so, is a wonderful opportunity.
“There are clear benefits for individuals as well as the wider community. Without the support of the WA Government and industry providers we would not have been able to deliver such a large-scale program that is helping to improve the lives of so many people.”
The City of Wanneroo is putting its full weight behind the program, also encouraging its own employees to shake up their commute and incorporate more physical exercise into their workday.
In 2014, a pilot program in the City of Cockburn saw participants reporting an increase in daily physical activity and a reduction of more than 400,000 individual car trips over a 12-month period.
Anecdotal feedback suggests Your Move Wanneroo is on track to replicating similar results, with thousands of participants committing to increase their physical activity and reduce car use and walk or cycle instead.
Your Move Wanneroo is a joint initiative of the Department of Transport, the Department of Sport and Recreation and the RAC. It is being delivered with the assistance of the Public Transport Authority (PTA), HBF, North Metropolitan Health Service, Heart Foundation, Nature Play WA, Diabetes WA and Bicycling Western Australia.
