The Council's Road Safety Co-ordinator carries out road safety education in the local community. The position is partially funded by Land Transport NZ under its Community Road Safety Programme.
The Road Safety Co-ordinator's main task is to liaise with community groups and organisations, creating networks and bringing about positive change in road safety outcomes.
This work promotes 'ownership' of road safety, and brings the community closer to the development of a 'road safety culture'. It reflects the continued emphasis expressed in the Community Plan on road safety improvements and steps to reduce the number of crashes occurring on the District's roads.
Road Safety Culture
Encouraging and promoting a Road Safety culture can be best achieved via the community development model. Key stakeholders and the community meet to identify the problems and work together on strategies for solutions, ensuring community ownership of both the issue and its solution.
The three main approaches for working on road safety issues are:
- education
- enforcement
- engineering.
Kapiti Road Safety
Each year Land Transport NZ reports on the road safety issues particular to Kapiti, providing information on crash trends and crash factors.
Through the Community Road Safety Programme applications are made to Land Transport NZ to assist with road safety projects and programmes to help address the identified problems.
Key priority areas identified for Kapiti are:
- mature road users
- rear-end/obstructions collisions
- intersection collisions
- cyclists
- pedestrians
- alcohol/drugs and driving
- speed
- young, inexperienced drivers
- fatigue.
Resources that have been developed to promote road safety in Kapiti are:
- Changing Gears in Later Years (20 pages, 1.2mb)
– booklet about retiring from driving available free from the AA, Kapiti Coast District Council, Greypower, and Land Transport NZ
- The Positive Guide for Mature Drivers
– booklets available free from the AA, Kapiti Coast District Council, Greypower, and Land Transport NZ
- Negotiating Kapiti Intersections Safely
– an 11 minute video available at 'Safe with Age' courses (see below), or from the Road Safety Coordinator
- Wheels on Kapiti
- a video about Defensive Cycling
- Ki runga nga huarahi
– a road safety video in Te Reo Maori for Kohanga Reo tamariki and their whanau.
For further information on Road Safety in Kapiti contact the Road Safety Coordinator on (04) 296-4700 or email Kapiti.Council@kapiticoast.govt.nz.
Safe with Age
Safe with Age is an awareness course for mature road users, offered free of charge.
You are guided through two 2-hour sessions, which you complete one week apart, after which you receive your course workbook and information booklet to take away as well as a certificate.
All courses are held at the Kapiti Community Centre in Ngahina St, Paraparumu on Thursdays. Sessions run from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
2007 Safe with Age course dates:
| April |
Thursday April 10 |
|
Thursday April 17 |
| June |
Thursday June 12 |
|
Thursday June 19 |
| August |
Thursday August 14 |
|
Thursday August 21 |
| October |
Thursday October 16 |
|
Thursday October 23 |
For bookings or enquiries please phone Sheila on (04) 904-3759.
Contract School Travel Plan
Background information available on the following links is relevant:
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Te Tari Tiaki Pungao: Stepping schools through travel plans
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Te Tari Tiaki Pungao: The school travel plan co-ordinator's guide
Land Transport NZ: Travel Behaviour Change Guidance Handbook
Kapiti Coast District Council: Cycleways, Walkways, Bridleways Strategy
Links
The following websites offer further information on road safety:
Land Transport NZ
Community Road Safety Programme
RoadSense