St Ives is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney.
Sofia (author) is a medical doctor that has a Master of Health Leadership and Management (MHLM), Master of Infectious Disease Intelligence (MIDI) from UNSW, Sydney and has completed Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Newcastle.
Using the Neighbourhood Walkability Checklist developed by the Australia Heart Foundation, this was an assignment provided by my university to assess the suburb – that I wanted to share with the WalkSydney community! This St Ives Walkability report features the most active section of the St Ives suburb (Figure 1), focusing on these streets.
Overall, I ranked the areas covered in this audit as 24/30
( List streets or highlight the streets both are fine.)
Figure 1 :Selected area chosen within St Ives for the walkability audit.
MONA VALE ROAD
Overall, the footpath conditions are desirable for walking. They are clean, aesthetically pleasing, have good canopy coverage, are flat and have buffer strips (1,2,3,4).
Figure 2: Narrow, flat, paved walkways with kerb-side traffic buffer next to the main road
Figure 3: Narrow, flat, paved walkways at night.
Figure 4: Walkways are covered by tree canopy.
Figure 5: The landscape is well maintained.
Figure 6: The dimly-lit busy intersection at Mona Vale Road and Memorial Avenue is a potential accident spot.
MEMORIAL AVENUE
Figure 7: Rotary Park at the corner of Mona Vale Road and Memorial Avenue. Has flat paved walkways and benches to rest.
Figure 8: The Rotary Park is dark at night. The fence is there to prevent jaywalking or kids/ pets stumbling onto Memorial Avenue. It is one of the busier streets off Mona Vale Road as it heads to the Village Green, public school, Shopping Village and St Ives Chase.
Figure 9: Benches in the Rotary Park, a stop on walkable routes.
Figure 10: Speed bump at night on Memorial Avenue.
Figure 11: Pedestrian walkway on Memorial Avenue. Fences on walkway to protect pedestrians.
Figure 12: Signboard stating “Give way to Pedestrians” are visible at night. 40km/hr speed is painted on the road for pedestrians’ safety.
Figure 13: Narrow paved, flat pathway on Memorial Avenue covered by tree canopy.
Figure 14: There are two refuge islands for crossing on this road next to the park. There is a kerb-side traffic buffer.
Figure 15: The same pathway and refuge islands are not visible at night.
Figure 16: Benches for pedestrian to rest, area is not well- lit. They are wet, unsheltered from the rain.
ST IVES VILLAGE GREEN
Figure 17: Clear visibility during the day, walking across the park towards Memorial Avenue.
Figure 18: Clear visibility during the night, walking across the park towards Memorial Avenue.
Figure 19: Clear visibility of the field during the day, walking across the park towards Memorial Avenue.
Figure 20: Poor visibility of the field at night, walking across the park towards Memorial Avenue.
Figure 21: Ramp and flat walk paths to walk across the Village Green by the tennis courts.
Figure 22: 1-metre footpath at the Village Green. A stroller occupies the path. Both pedestrians are unable to walk side by side.
Figure 23: The visibility of the Village Green area adjacent to Memorial Avenue during the day.
Figure 24: The same area after dark
THE PLAYGROUND AND THE SKATE PARK
Figure 25: View of the skatepark and playground during day and night.
Figure 26: The playground in the background is dark at night.
Figure 27: The ramp improves walkability for pedestrians with strollers, walking aids or those using motorized wheelchairs.
Figure 28: A bench next to the ramp for pedestrians to rest.
ST IVES PARADE
Figure 29: One of 3 zebra crossings on St Ives Parade connecting pedestrians from the Village Green to St Ives Village during the day.
Figure 30: The same zebra crossing at night.
Figure 31: The second zebra crossings on St Ives Parade connecting pedestrians from the Village Green to St Ives Village during the day.
Figure 32: The third zebra crossing at the junction between Village Green Parade and Memorial Avenue. Signage warns drivers of pedestrian traffic. Also seen are pedestrian signages to different destinations.
ST IVES SHOPPING VILLAGE
Figure 33: The Kuringai Neighbourhood Centre (KNC).
Figure 34: The local library.
Figure 35: St Ives Child and Family Health.
Figure 36: A special van to transport older residents to the KNC.
St Ives residents: Age profile
There is a notably higher percentage of individuals aged 5 to 19 and residents aged 75 and above in St Ives, far exceeding the proportions of the state’s and country’s population distribution (5). Meanwhile, residents aged between 25 and 34 were almost half of that (5).
Recommendations to improve walkability.
Wider pavements and better lighting are two proactive approaches to improve the area’s walkability based on the suburb’s age profile and walkability assessment.
1. Widen the footpath
Nearly all residents live within a 10-minute walk of the assessed area and stay local throughout the day benefiting from the high walkability score (2,5). While the current 1-meter footpath meets basic accessibility and inclusivity standards, it is insufficient for safe navigation due to the mix of older and younger pedestrians with contrasting behaviours and age-associated conditions, people with disabilities, dog walkers, and caregivers with strollers (6, 7). The lack of bicycle lanes and signage prohibiting scooter and skateboard use further complicates footpath usage (8). This highlights the need to widen the footpath to three meters to ensure adequate space, clearance and safety for all users (6).
2. Improve lighting conditions.
Public lighting is an equity and security issue as reported by Victoria Walks and the Police Force (9,10). It importance is emphasized through its inclusion in the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design concept (9). Poorly visible paths discourage residents, especially vulnerable groups from walking after dark due to safety reasons (11). The varying seasons and daylight savings (earlier sunset in May-July) result in fewer hours of walking (12). Light installation can deter crime from being committed, therefore increasing the residents’ confidence to walk and improving the status quo crime rates.
Conclusion
Despite the absence of pedestrian accidents on the investigated streets and the suburb’s overall low crime rate, these proactive measures aim to encourage more residents to walk, increasing both the frequency and distance of walking by enhancing comfort during the day and after dark.
References
- Cerin E, Nathan A, Van Cauwenberg J, Barnett DW, Barnett A, Council on Environment and Physical Activity (CEPA)–Older Adults working group. The neighbourhood physical environment and active travel in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal of behavioural nutrition and physical activity. 2017 Dec;14:1-23.
- NSW Government. Movement and Place. Walking Paths. Accessed: 19 September 2024. Available from https://www.movementandplace.nsw.gov.au/place-and-network/built-environment-indicators/walking-paths#metricsindetail
- NSW Government Movement and Place. Tree Canopy. Measure the percentage of tree cover across urban areas. Available from: https://www.movementandplace.nsw.gov.au/place-and-network/built-environment-indicators/tree-canopy. [ Accessed: 19 September 2024].
- Kweon BS, Rosenblatt-Naderi J, Ellis CD, Shin WH, Danies BH. The effects of pedestrian environments on walking behaviours and perception of pedestrian safety. Sustainability. 2021 Aug 5;13(16):8728.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. St Ives (NSW) 2021 Census All persons QuickStats. Available from: https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/SAL13654. [Accessed: 19 September 2024].
- Queensland Government. Department of Transport and Main Roads. Pedestrian and Walking Guidance Resources. Paths for Walking. Available from: https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/travel-and-transport/pedestrians-and-walking/guidance-and-resources/pedestrian-and-walking-guidance-and-resources/paths-for-walking#shared. [Accessed: 19 September 2024].
- Hennah C, Ellis G, Doumas M. Dual-task walking in healthy aging: Effects of narrow and wide walking paths. Plos one. 2021 Dec 22;16(12):e0261647.
- NSW Government. Centre for Road Safety. Towards Zero. Pedestrians. Available from: https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/pedestrians. [Accessed: 19 September 2024]
- NSW Police Force. Safer by Design. Available from: https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/safety_and_prevention/policing_in_the_community/safer_by_design. [Accessed: 21 September 2024].
- Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. Climate statistics for Australian locations. Available from: http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=066059&p_prim_element_index=18&p_display_type=statGraph&period_of_avg=ALL&normals_years=allYearOfData&staticPage= . [Accessed: 19 September 2024].
- Oxley, J., O’Hern, S., Burtt, D., Rossiter, B. (2016). Fall-Related Injuries While Walking in Victoria, Victoria Walks, Melbourne. Available from: https://www.victoriawalks.org.au/Assets/Files/FINAL_Falls_Research_designed.pdf
- St Ives Village Green, New South Wales, Australia- Sunrise, Sunset and Daylength. Available from: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@8160738?month=4&year=2024. [Accessed: 19 September 2024].
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