The Queensland Walking Alliance is a coalition of partner organisations and individuals who are committed to a healthier and more connected Queensland.
The Alliance calls for better walking, rolling and strolling facilities and therefore more walking every day.
The Alliance provides a central voice for walking in urban, regional and rural areas, and improved walkability in Queensland.
This call to action has been prepared by Alliance partners. As the peak body for walking, Queensland Walks facilitates the Queensland Walking Alliance.
Accessible and inclusive cities, suburbs and towns are ones that are:
These community members include families, younger and older people, people who have a long-term health condition or have a physical or a cognitive disability or move with the aid of a device.
Accessible and inclusive cities, suburbs and towns are welcoming to people who do not drive, are walk-friendly and encourage more people to walk, roll and stroll every day. Accessible and inclusive streets are healthy and active streets for everyone.
Walking is fundamental to our lives, is sustainable and equitable. A quarter of Queenslanders do not hold a driving licence (1) and many Queenslanders cannot afford to drive or chose not to drive. Walking is therefore ana important part of a transport system that Queenslanders rely on.
All Queenslanders have the right to be able to walk, roll and stroll and to maintain or improve their health and be able to access services and businesses to survive and thrive.
We know that in many Queensland neighbourhoods the absence of walking networks (such as connected footpaths, consistent kerb ramps and crossings) means that people who roll or stroll are unable to participate in every day activities in their neighbourhoods.
The Queensland Walking Alliance identified that accessibility and inclusion for walking is the top priority for the Alliance. We present our Call to Action paper for an urgent commitment to Queensland streets and neighbourhoods that are walk, roll and stroll friendly to ensure that Queensland communities are accessible and inclusive.
This commitment needs to occur immediately, responding to current population, disability and demographic mobility needs, and in readiness for accepting visitors to our cities and regions for the Paralympic and Olympic Games in 2032. The Queensland Walking Alliance call on all levels of Government to commit to specific accessibility and inclusion resources within all transport agencies.
We encourage all levels of Government to embed walking as the first priority in transport choice and that the ‘Sustainable transport hierarchy’ is applied in every plan, in all budgets and every road or transport upgrade.
Our call to action items encourage the use of the Sustainable Transport Hierarchy (see below), and the Whole-ofJourney approach, using the Whole Journey Guide to help inform transport decisions. We encourage Whole Journey thinking to be embedded in all decision making processes, and ‘to go beyond compliance to deliver better outcomes’ for all Queenslanders (2).
To achieve this, The Alliance collectively calls on a range of policy and budgetary measures commencing with the funding for comprehensive walking audits conducted in and around public transport hubs, schools, and education settings, shopping and health precincts and community hubs, with further walking audits to follow.
FOOTPATH NETWORK REVIEWS
DEDICATED PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS
INCREASED INVESTMENT IN FOOTPАТH NETWORKS AS A PRIORITY TRANSPORT MODE
PEDESTRIAN TRAINING AND STAFF RESOURCES
WALKING STRATEGIES AND PLANS
Footpath network reviews should also consider road safety conditions impacting pedestrian movement including (but not limited to) speed limit reviews, traffic management (event or development), pedestrian-friendly crossings, accessible bus stop compliance, shading and seating
This will mean increasing the capital works budgets in readiness for the Paralympic Games and for visitors travelling to and within our state.
| Call to action | Who? | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Footpath network reviews | Local Government State Government Individual audits (such as Queensland Walks 'Walk My Street Checklist', Heart Foundation Walking Checklist, or Healthy Streets index) | Queensland Walking Alliance Benchmarking (in development and subject to funding), Walking in Queensland survey |
| 2. Dedicated pedestrian infrastructure grants | State Government Federal Government | Queensland Walking Alliance Benchmarking |
| 3. Increased investment in footpath networks | All three levels of Government | Queensland Walking Alliance Benchmarking |
| 4a. Pedestrian training and staff resources | All three levels of Government, consultants and practitioners contracted by Government. With an emphasis on traffic and road design, transport planning, public transport network and infrastructure design | Queensland Walking Alliance Benchmarking |
| 4b.DDA Compliance, Whole Journey, Australian Standards compliance | Local and State Government, private developers, builders | Complaints, audits, referrals to Human Rights Commission Qld |
| 5. Walking Strategies and Plans | Local Government with potential for co-investment via Federal or State | Queensland Walking Alliance Benchmarking |
The Queensland Walking Alliance is hosted by Queensland Walks and funded by the Queensland Government through the Action Plan for Walking.
The Queensland Walking Alliance members commit to a healthier and more connected Queensland by advocating to all levels of Government and practitioners by encouraging and supporting better walking facilities, better investment and more walking every day.
You can download a copy of the Accessible and Inclusive Streets Call-to-Action here.
The Queensland Walking Alliance members commit to a healthier and more connected Queensland by advocating to all levels of government and practitioners by encouraging and supporting better walking facilities, better investment and more walking every day.
1. Department of Transport and Main Roads 2022, Licensing Statistics, 30 June, viewed January 2023, https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/safety/transport-and-road-statistics/licensing-statistics.aspx
2. Infrastructure Australia 2017, The Whole Journey: A guide for thinking beyond compliance to create accessible public transport journeys, viewed January 2023, https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transportvehicles/transport-accessibility/whole-journey-guide/whole-journey-guide-thinking-beyond-compliance-createaccessible-public-transport-journeys
3.Department of Transport and Main Roads 2019, Queensland Walking Strategy 2019-2029 ‘Walking: for everyone, every day’, p. 19.
4.ABS Data 2021, Snapshot of Queensland. High level summary data for Queensland in 2021, viewed January 2023, https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/snapshot-qld-2021
5. ABS Data 2021, Snapshot of Queensland. High level summary data for Queensland in 2021, viewed March 2023, https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/snapshot-qld-2021
6. Queenslanders With Disability Network 2020, My Disability Matters, viewed January 2023, https://qdn.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2021/07/MyDisabilityMatters_Policy-Platform_dated-15-Sept-20.pdf
7. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2022, People with a Disability in Australia, 5 July, viewed January 2023, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/disability/people-with-disability-in-australia-2022-in-brief/contents/about-people-with-disability-in-australia-in-brief
8. Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services, Who are older Queenslanders? Fact sheet https://www.families.qld.gov.au/_media/documents/seniors/population-fact-sheet.pdf
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