Welcome to our August 2023 newsletter – our first as a
SEE Change group!
Living Streets Canberra is now a SEE Change group.
It’s one of the things we’ve been working on to help grow our movement, improve our effectiveness and efficiency, and develop our governance.
And now it’s time to take the next step by coming together for a meeting to help us to get more active and build our movement, presence and influence – and have fun!
— Gill, Convenor
Living Streets Canberra meeting – let’s get organised!
Living Streets Canberra has ambitious aims.
We’ve become a SEE-Change group to help us to do our work and to grow.
As a people-powered group, we now need to meet so we can really get going: introduce ourselves, look at where we’re going, and set up Living Streets Canberra’s overarching committee and some working groups.
So, please come along to our first meeting as a SEE Change group! Here are the details:
Date: Tuesday, 15 August Time: 6:00-7:00pm Place: online, using Teams Registration: via Humanitix – click here
Advocacy
One of the most important things we do is try to make Canberra a better place for people to walk, roll and be in public places. We advocate for:
- all of ACT’s active travel environs and public spaces are made to be – and feel – safe, accessible and comfortable – for everyone to use active travel and be in public spaces, regardless of age, ability, gender, culture or mode of travel.
- ACT’s mobility options – including all streets, paths, crossings, and public transport stops – to comply with anti-discrimination legislation.
So far this year, both ACT and Commonwealth Governments) has continued to run a large number of consultations on issues that greatly affect people walking, rolling and being in public spaces in Canberra. We have been able to keep up with responding to most of these consultation opportunities. So far we have made submissions on:
- ACT Preventive Health Action Plan 2023-2025
- National Health & Climate Strategy
- Draft ACT Active Travel Design Guide
- Garema Place Upgrade
- Light Rail Stage 2A – Works Approval and Development Application
- E-scooter expansion (our own letter plus a submission by Advocacy for Inclusion that we and ACTCOSS joined)
We have also:
- met with ACT Minister for Transport and City Services, Chris Steel MLA
- met with several other community advocacy groups locally and nationally, including participating in the Transport Working Groups organised by Conservation Council ACT (of which we’re a member) and Climate Action Network Australia (of which we’re a member via the Conservation Council)
- participated in the Light Rail Stage 2A Community Reference Group
- been working nationally and locally for Australia’s first Transport Equity Week, which will be held 17-23 September.
However, our advocacy capacity (availability) at the time was insufficient to comment on the proposed City Plan. This is a much-regretted missed opportunity because, although the draft plan contained some nice words, its map showed that walking and rolling in Civic would be almost unchanged from what it is now; that is, travel by motor vehicle would be prioritised.
Preparing submissions is just one way you can help Living Streets Canberra’s advocacy. If you’re interested in volunteering with us:
- come along to our online meeting on Tuesday, 15 August at 6 pm
- sign up as a volunteer here
Community Petition
Have you signed the community petition calling for better investment in infrastructure for active travel (walking, rolling and cycling) yet?
If not, please join us and sign it.
If so, please share it.
Living Streets Canberra is one of 16 (and growing) community groups who are supporting the petition, led by ACT’s cycling advocacy group Pedal Power.
Let’s see if we can top 1000 signatures on the petition before it is formally delivered to Minister Steel on 4 September – we’re almost there!
Stay Rail Safe
This week is Rail Safety Week. 
Living Streets Canberra joins Canberra Metro Operations, the ACT Government and other community groups to raise awareness around the issue of safety around light rail in Canberra for Rail Safety Week.
This year we are urging everyone in Canberra to stay #RailSAFE.
A moment of distraction can change your life forever.
- Turn down distractions. Remove your headphones or earphones.
- Look Up. Stand behind the gate.
- Stand behind the yellow line.
- Hold onto handrails.
Stand Back. Look Up. Stay Rail Safe.
In the news
The RiotAct picked up our message that we need to urgently repair and upgrade our infrastructure for active travel – so that *all* our streets and paths need to be safe, accessible, convenient and comfortable for *everyone* to walk or roll. The article followed an announcement by Minister Steel in The Canberra Times[$] that ‘More than 1.3km of footpaths will be either laid or upgraded in [four] of Canberra’s older suburbs’ as part of the Age-Friendly Suburbs program. Comments in both media outlets supported our position.
Across the ditch, Christchurch City Council is making its streets safer by making the speed limit for streets around schools 30km/h. The council is just one New Zealand local government implementing rules set by the Ministry of Transport and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency in May 2022. The laws require councils to set safe and appropriate speed limits for all streets and roads, in accordance with national standards set by the Safe System approach.
Some things to think about…
Support us
Become a member
One important way you can help us is to become a member of SEE-Change and elect to join the Living Streets group.
Social Media
You can follow and interact with Living Streets Canberra on Facebook (where we share the most news), Instagram and (still, at the moment) Twitter
Join the team!
We’re always looking for help including:
- Reaching out, connecting and building our movement of members, supporters and links with like-minded organisations
- Observing, recording and sharing what it’s like to walk, roll and be in public places in Canberra
- Researching and writing submissions, articles, letters to the editor etc
- A range of ‘Behind the scenes’ work including social media, IT, graphic design, artwork
More details about how you can get involved are here.
Til next time… See you out on the streets!