Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to the PCAL monthly bulletin.

This bulletin reports up to date news and research of interest to people who want to promote active living choices in NSW.

Previous bulletins are archived on the PCAL website.

PCAL does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes or services that may be displayed through bulletin hyperlinks.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell recently announced the completion of a continuous network of over 275km's of walking tracks along Sydney's coast and waterways. The mapped network has also been released as a free iphone and ipad application.

The NSW Government has released the 2010 NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) full report. Although  the rate of overweight and obesity (22.8%) in NSW school children remains a concern, results confirm levels have begun to stabilise.

PCAL was invited to participate in a recent post WALK21 Symposium investigating links between transportation and health. A comprehensive list of symposium presentations and resources has been compiled including efforts to monetize health costs of transportation investments.

PCAL's submission to the NSW Planning System Review recommends a suite of changes to promote health and wellbeing. PCAL was also recently commended at the NSW Division of the Planning Institute of Australia Awards for its work in improving planning processes and practices.

The Heart Foundation in collaboration with PCAL and UNSW's Healthy Built Environments Program recently hosted a series of presentations by Dr Rodney Tolley regarding the promotion of walkability at specific precincts. A discussion paper highlighting the benefits of making streets more walking and cycling friendly has also been released.

Victoria Walks has developed a user friendly mapping tool where people can create or discover a range of walking maps for different purposes. The Victorian Department of Transport has also developed a guide to developing pedestrian wayfinding.  

A recent Queensland report provides a summary of evidence evaluating the economic impacts of active travel programs and projects. PCAL has previously commissioned work that demonstrates the significant economic benefits of converting short car trips to walking and cycling within NSW.

The Australian Government has developed the Liveable Cities Program as part of the National Urban Policy to help fund improvements in the liveability of our major cities. Funding applications close on the 15th December.