Traffic planning and policy

ViaStrada were commissioned by Tauranga City to assess the effectiveness of the 30 km/h zone in Mount Maunganui, in terms of vehicle speeds and crashes, taking into account any changes in traffic volumes since its introduction in August 2011. A control zone immediately south of the study area, where the 50 km/h speed limit remained unchanged, was used as a basis for comparing general changes in the area. Five years of speed, volume, and crash data before and after implementation found that the expected number of crashes in the 30 km/h zone fell by 21%.

During 2014, ViaStrada investigated a network of connected shared paths on the southern side (left bank) of the Manawatu River in Palmerston North and the preliminary location of a new pedestrian cycle bridge across the Manawatu River. The paths have since progressively been built, and the bridge opened in June 2019.

Christchurch City Council commissioned ViaStrada to investigate concerns about central city tram tracks causing problems for people on bikes. Using a public online survey, ViaStrada gathered information about 3 years worth of cycle accidents and near-accidents and made recommendations to help mitigate the problem.

Under secondment to PNCC, ViaStrada's John Lieswyn led the review of the existing cycle network and development of a costed and prioritised list of corridor improvements.

For five schools in the central city, ViaStrada developed an area-wide plan for road safety improvements including options for the optimisation of on-street parking. The work include a full review of parking capacity, occupancy, speed and volume data.

ViaStrada's John Lieswyn led the development of travel plans for nine primary and high schools within the Hastings District, and assisted the Hastings District Council with their own workplace travel plan. The project formed part of HDC's iWay programme, which aims to tackle declining rates of walking and cycling with carefully planned, sustained investment in walking and cycling.

The NZ Transport Agency engaged ViaStrada to investigate options for amendments to several road user rules affecting walking and cycling, particularly near intersections, and then to prepare draft materials for implementing amended road user rule legislation for some of the rules investigated.

The Palmerston North City Council has implemented Bikes in Schools at six local schools. As part of ongoing efforts to ensure continuous improvement, the Council commissioned ViaStrada to undertake an independent review of the programme. ViaStrada investigated selection, procurement and operation processes and made various recommendations for future schools added to the programme.

On behalf of the NZ Transport Agency, ViaStrada conducted a research project to evaluate the safety challenges of e-bikes and other low-powered vehicles (mobility scooters, e-skateboards, e-unicycles, etc). The aim was to generate a set of regulatory and non-regulatory options for addressing those issues in the New Zealand context.

Part 1 of the research was a review and assessment of technology (e.g. motor controllers, throttles vs. torque activation, lighting and braking), market characteristics, sales projections, and safety studies. Part 2 included workshops with industry and other key stakeholders to inform an assessment of potential regulatory and non-regulatory options.

ViaStrada was commissioned by Dunedin City Council and NZTA to develop a cycling network for South Dunedin and the central city.