We are conducting a Walking and Cycling Review to make walking, cycling and personal mobility accessible and safe in the growing Port Macquarie-Hastings region.

What is the Walking and Cycling Review?

Together with residents, business owners and service providers, we want work to provide a safe, more efficient and accessible network to support the predicted population growth and wellbeing of local communities, businesses and industries.

The Walking and Cycling Review consists of a review and update of three key documents:

• Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan: intended to provide better, safer and more accessible pedestrian infrastructure at critical locations.
• Bike Plan: guiding our plans to increase safe cycling infrastructure and improving the cycling network.
• Integrated Transport Plan: Delivered in collaboration with Transport for NSW, this plan aims to guide transport planning, creating a more efficient transport system for the future that meets the needs of our customers.

The review will focus on:

• Locations where potential expansion of pedestrian and cycling networks can be implemented.
• Ways to activate the community with cycleways and pathways that have been constructed in the last few years and public transport.
• Achieving a more effective and accessible network that is safer and supports the forecast growth of the Port Macquarie-Hastings region as well as the health and prosperity of local communities, businesses and industries.

Why are we doing this?

In the most recent version of the Australian Liveability Census respondents indicated that Walking/ jogging/ bike paths that connect housing to communal amenity was a top 5 priority and Access and safety of walking, cycling and/or public transport was a top 10 priority. We also often regularly hear our community’s desire to have a larger and more improved active transport network.

With this in mind, we want to hear from you on how we can improve cycleways and pathways and promote active transport in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area.

You may know a certain route in your area that many people use which could benefit from pedestrian or cycling infrastructure to enhance safety, accessibility and community wellbeing.

We’d also like to know what you would need to consider using active transport.

What is active transport?

Active Transport refers to people walking or riding to make short trips such as to work or shops, rather than using motor vehicles. Using public transport can also be included in this definition as it often involves some walking or cycling to the pickup and drop off locations.

How you can have your say

You can help us understand how our coastal areas are used by:

• Attending a face to face drop-in session in your local area. Find a time and location near you.
• Dropping a pin on our interactive map below telling us what recreational activities you and your family may do in our coastal regions and how we can improve existing facilities and infrastructure for future use; or
• Completing the Community Survey; or
• Adding a post to our Ideas Wall; or
• Emailing your feedback to council@pmhc.nsw.gov.au(External link); or
• posting to:
  Chief Executive Officer
  Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
  PO Box 84
  Port Macquarie NSW 2444

Submissions close Monday 11 March 2024.