Raising awareness about green arteries as part of a synergy of land use and transport planning and promotion of non-motorised transport modes

Summary

Green arteries represent linking elements that provide for continuity. They connect activity nodes (circuses, local parks etc.), with linear components (boulevards, esplanades, pedestrian streets, major shopping streets etc.), forming a continuous system of pedestrian and cycle paths and building up to an Urban Green Network. This measure is intended to raise public awareness of green arteries leading to greater utilisation and encouraging the use of non-motorised transportation, thereby reducing congestion and pollution in the city.

Implementing sustainable mobility

In the past the streets of Tel Aviv-Yafo not only acted as an urban transit network, they were the lifeblood of the city, representing a place for commerce, cafés and interaction among people.

Up until recently pedestrians and their associated street life were increasingly pushed aside. There was a deterioration of the street space and its function as a non-motorised environment was eroded. The aim of this measure is to raise public awareness about green arteries as an environment which is both a social and sociable space, as well as part of a synergy of land use, transport planning and promotion of non-motorised transport modes.

Progress

The measure focused on raising awareness, with related activities being carried out on several levels. Educational and social activities were conducted in consultation with the city education department and NGOs, both in formal and informal settings.  Foremost amongst the activity aimed at school children was the safe cycling programme which was piloted in schools located along the demo green artery.  A media campaign targeted the general population, along with a community event along the route of the demo green artery. The event, which took into account the varied nature of the target population, comprised a variety of activities centred at different points along the route. The activities revolved around the elements and structures (buildings, etc.) existing along the route and were aimed at fostering green values with content relating to issues such as sustainability, recycling, ecology, green transport, and an active lifestyle.  

Outcomes

Evaluation for this measure has predominantly focused on monitoring the usage of the demo green artery, as well as exploring awareness and acceptance of the demo green artery. Of the people surveyed during the event, 45% stated that they hadn’t known about the demo green artery before the event (awareness). In addition, after the event 74% stated that they were sure they would use the green artery more (acceptance). The pedestrian and cyclist counts showed an average increase of 13% in the number of pedestrians along the demo segment and an average increase of 6% in the number of cyclists. However, perhaps the most promising result was that over 80% of the children who took part in the safe cycling programme said that it had given them tools for safer cycling and increased their knowledge of the green artery and cycling paths in their area.

Flexible implementation of green arteries on the existing street network has proven to be an innovative way of utilising land and space to reverse the domination of public space by motorised traffic. It represents a way of rejuvenating the city landscape and providing a safe environment for pedestrians and cyclists. This measure could be taken up by other cities, its transferability dictated only by the individual road layout of each city.