VLC has been awarded $1 million of funding from the NSW Government to develop an active transport planning tool within their geospatial analytics platform Planwisely.

The tool will help Transport for NSW (TfNSW) analyse current walk and cycle networks across the state and plan more effective ones in the future. The proposed solution, called PATH (Planning Active Transport for Health), was selected as the outright winner of TfNSW’s latest Active Transport Smart City Innovation Challenge. The Challenge was initiated to find ways to use technology to support more people walking and cycling throughout the state.

“We are committed to testing new technologies like PATH to support planning and investment decisions and drive active transport uptake,” said NSW Minister for Transport Jo Haylen.

“We need to be smart about how we prepare for growth across NSW, and this means making sure we have the right infrastructure in place in our communities, where walking or cycling is viewed as one of the safest, easiest, and most convenient ways to travel.”

 

PATH will be built upon Planwisely, a map-based analytics platform created by VLC.

 

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Transport for NSW to develop a tool that will revolutionise the way active transport infrastructure is planned and developed,” said VLC and Planwisely Managing Director Nick Veitch.

Around 1.5 billion walking and cycling trips take place each year across NSW, and the NSW Government wants to double this number within 20 years.

 

PATH will help guide planning and investment decisions for active transport networks in NSW.

 

“PATH will help us understand what makes places walkable and cyclable and plan better active transport networks for the future,” says Veitch.

PATH will be built upon Planwisely, a map-based platform created by VLC that allows users without GIS expertise to analyse complex geospatial datasets with easy-to-use tools.

“PATH will combine VLC’s more than 35 years of experience in the traffic and transport industry with Planwisely’s powerful analytics capabilities and intuitive front-end.”

“Our team’s aim is to deliver a tool that can empower NSW Government planners in ways that encourage walk and bike travel and, most importantly, benefit the people of NSW.”