Mackie Research (New Zealand)

Auckland's road safety performance deteriorated significantly with death and serious injury crashes increasing by more than 70% between 2014-2017 compared to the previous five years. A fifth of all pedestrian related crashes in Auckland occurred at existing zebra crossings. In response, the Mass Action Pedestrian Improvement Programme (MAPI) delivered 37 upgrades of existing at grade crossings to raised zebra crossings over 2018/19 financial year and since this time, Auckland Transport have upgraded more than 100 crossings across the network. This paper discusses the research and evaluation that were undertaken to inform the design and implementation of MAPI and to determine safety outcomes and impacts. Key learnings from the programme and the challenge of balancing safety benefits, community acceptance, and the efficient operation of the network, are discussed.

There is an increased risk of death or serious injury for occupants who did not wear a seat belt in a crash. In New Zealand, between 2006 and 2016, the non-use of seat belts accounted for 19-30% of the overall motor vehicle road deaths, and this figure shows no sign of decreasing. It is important to better understand the contextual factors associated with crashes where seat belts are not worn, so that more relevant and effective road safety interventions can be designed and implemented. The aim of this research was to determine the profiles for seat belt non-users who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in New Zealand between 2011 and 2015. An in-depth analysis of 200 fatalities where seat belts were not worn (186 crash cases) was carried out following a Safe System framework, using NZ Police reports. Following this, a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) developed five profiles of vehicle occupants who were killed in crashes where seat belts were not worn. While the stereotypical ‘young risky’ males were an important group, a range of other people and contexts emerged: ‘driving for work’; ‘elderly and retired’; ‘overseas passengers’; and ‘people driving in rural settings’. This has implications for tailored road safety interventions, as a variety of motivations and influences are likely to be at play, depending on the people involved.

BackgroundEvidence is mounting to suggest a causal relationship between the built environment and people’s physical activity behaviours, particularly active transport. The evidence base has been hindered to date by restricted consideration of cost and economic factors associated with built environment interventions, investigation of socioeconomic or ethnic differences in intervention effects, and an inability to isolate the effect of the built environment from other intervention types. The aims of this systematic review were to identify which environmental interventions increase physical activity in residents at the local level, and to build on the evidence base by considering intervention cost, and the differential effects of interventions by ethnicity and socioeconomic status.MethodsA systematic database search was conducted in June 2015. Articles were eligible if they reported a quantitative empirical study (natural experiment or a prospective, retrospective, experimental, or longitudinal research) investigating the relationship between objectively measured built environment feature(s) and physical activity and/or travel behaviours in children or adults. Quality assessment was conducted and data on intervention cost and whether the effect of the built environment differed by ethnicity or socioeconomic status were extracted.ResultsTwenty-eight studies were included in the review. Findings showed a positive effect of walkability components, provision of quality parks and playgrounds, and installation of or improvements in active transport infrastructure on active transport, physical activity, and visits or use of settings. There was some indication that infrastructure improvements may predominantly benefit socioeconomically advantaged groups. Studies were commonly limited by selection bias and insufficient controlling for confounders. Heterogeneity in study design and reporting limited comparability across studies or any clear conclusions to be made regarding intervention cost.ConclusionsImproving neighbourhood walkability, quality of parks and playgrounds, and providing adequate active transport infrastructure is likely to generate positive impacts on activity in children and adults. The possibility that the benefits of infrastructure improvements may be inequitably distributed requires further investigation. Opportunities to improve the quality of evidence exist, including strategies to improve response rates and representativeness, use of valid and reliable measurement tools, cost-benefit analyses, and adequate controlling for confounders.