Learning to Walk Again – How Communities Can Make Streets Safer for Kids

Join Wendy on this People and Projects episode from the Streets and People podcast as she chats with Peter Murray, an urban designer and advocate for walkable, kid-friendly streets. Inspired by his work with Lucy Saunders and his travels to the UK, Peter shares how simple changes—like school streets, slower speeds, and play streets—can transform neighbourhoods, making them safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

Discover why fewer kids are walking to school, how car-centric streets create a cycle of danger, and what communities can do to break it. Peter’s research, Learning to Walk Again, reveals how grassroots advocacy, smart urban design, and community-led initiatives are helping kids reclaim their streets—one step at a time.

Perfect for parents, educators, and anyone passionate about healthier, happier neighbourhoods, this episode is packed with practical ideas and inspiring stories from the UK and beyond.

Listen now and find out how you can make a difference in your own community!

Links:

Reach out to Peter Murray on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/petemuz/

Check out Learning to Walk Again: http://learningtowalkagain.org/ you can download the research report from the home page

Better Streets Australia: www.betterstreets.org.au

Healthy Streets: www.healthystreets.com and to complete the survey: https://surveys.healthystreets.com/

Vic Health framing and messaging guide: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/VBM-Framing-Walking-Bike-framing---message-guide.pdf

Mums for Lungs: www.mumsforlungs.org

Solve the School Run: www.solvetheschoolrun.org

Playing Out: http://playingout.net

Active Travel to School project for the NSW Heart Foundation. This research analyses the cost-effectiveness of targeted street safety upgrades on designated active routes to school, and it was an important stepping stone for that research project into this travelling scholarship.  It's published on the Heart Foundation's Healthy Active by Design website.  Here's the direct link to the report PDF: https://irp.cdn-website.com/541aa469/files/uploaded/Active_Travel_to_School.pdf

You can listen to Lucy Saunder's episode here https://getaroundcaboolture.au/healthy-streets-app-lucy-saunders

And Rod King's episode on safer street speeds here: https://getaroundcaboolture.au/s1e24-pp-rod-king-20s-plenty-in-the-uk-discusses-how-to-get-safe-street-speeds-from-30mph-50kph-to-20mph-30kph/

Get Around Caboolture.au

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