Leave The Car At Home For Walk2Work Day At Botany Town Centre

Botany Town Centre is encouraging its retailers and staff to trade in their car keys for pavement-pounding sneakers in support of the annual Walk2Work Day on Wednesday 10 March. The national event, organised by Living Streets Aotearoa, offers free breakfasts to all who pledge to walk to work on the day.

The event supports Botany Town Centre’s strong focus on implementing alternative transport initiatives as explicated in the centre’s travel plan. The plan aims to improve options available to commuters by giving them greater transport choice, thus reducing the need to travel by car. This is designed to lead to improvements in centre accessibility, reduction in congestion, health benefits for staff, retailers and shoppers, and environmental benefits.

Research undertaken in 2009 found that in one week, staff at Botany Town Centre made a total of 3,488 return trips to the centre, equating to a travel distance of 53,127 kilometres and producing 15 tonnes of CO2, of which 99 percent was attributed to travelling by car.

Botany Town Centre Senior Centre Manager Jennifer Andrews says the travel plan, which was developed in line with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority’s TravelWise process, is the first of its kind in New Zealand. “One of the main objectives of the travel plan is to reduce the single occupancy vehicle trips by encouraging our staff, retailers and shoppers to use sustainable modes of transport and take part in initiatives such as the Walk2Work Day.

“Twenty three percent of our staff and retailers live within two kilometres of the centre – up to a 30-minute walk. We hope those people, and others, take up the challenge of walking to work in support of this great initiative.”

Auckland Networker for Living Streets Aotearoa Vincent Dickie says he is thrilled to have Botany Town Centre on board for the Walk2Work Day and hopes staff and retailers will opt to head to work on foot rather than reaching for the car keys. “We want to encourage people to incorporate health and fitness into their everyday life, and what simpler and better way to do this than by taking to the streets?”

The first 20 participants who pledge or register to walk to work will receive a free breakfast from Walk2Work sponsors One Square Meal, Cyclops Yoghurt and Sanitarium Up n Go. Breakfast will be served at Market Square, outside New World, at 8.30am.

Ends