This is the most common news type.
2019 is drawing to a close. It's been a busy year and now it's time to relax. And slow down; not just at work but also on our roads.
Thanks for all the wonderful projects that have been entrusted to us this year. It's greatly appreciated.
Our last day in the office will be Friday, 20 December. We'll be back from 6 January. For anything urgent in between, please contact any of our directors. We wish all of our colleagues and contacts a merry Christmas and happy New Year.
You've probably heard of "Barnes Dances" or all-directions pedestrian signal phases. The Dutch even do some for cycles at intersections. Now NZ is trying some for people walking and cycling combined...
Recently ViaStrada assisted with the development and presentation of the Transport Agency's first webinar on walking & cycling topics, namely measuring and monitoring these active modes. Glen Koorey oversaw the project coordination and MC'd the webinar, while John Lieswyn presented on technologies available for monitoring. They were joined by Bridget Burdett (MRCagney, measuring walking) and Courtney Groundwater (Abley, monitoring cycling), with Claire Pascoe (NZTA) providing a sponsor's overview.
We are pleased to report that we have submitted our trial report for this project.
Congratulations to Palmerston North City Council for opening the He Ara Kotahi bridge today. The 194 metre long structure across the Manawatū River is a great asset, giving access to a safe network of paths linking to Massey University, the Crown Research Institutes, and Linton Army Camp.
We were delighted to meet Joshua Gregory last week when he visited the office with his mum, Megan. Joshua arrived in the early hours of 23 March, weighing in at 3.9kg. Megan and Mark are delighted with their new arrival, and equally delighted that he's settled into some good sleep habits. Megan looked very relaxed and happy.
We wish the Gregory family all the best on their new adventure.
ViaStrada's Glen Koorey was honoured with winning highly commended in the paper category at the 2019 T-Tech Conference in Christchurch. Glen's paper discussed who should develop and manage "Mobility as a Service" (MaaS) services in New Zealand. It was the inaugural occasion for the T-Tech Conference to give out awards.
Congratulations to John Lieswyn and Dr Glen Koorey who, on 1 April 2019, became directors of ViaStrada. Both are of high standing in the industry. They are natural leaders and we welcome them at the directors’ table, where they join Axel Wilke and Warren Lloyd.
Christchurch City Council and Auckland Transport have been conducting a trial of directional traffic signals for people who cycle – you may have seen the installations and even taken part in the user surveys last year. To conclude the official trial process, the NZ Transport Agency requires another round of investigation. Regardless of whether you participated in the user surveys last year, whether you have seen the signals, and whether you ride a bike, your participation in the survey would be valued!
ViaStrada and its staff were honoured with being finalist or winning the following awards at the 2019 Transportation Group Conference in Wellington: