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Axel Downard-Wilke
Downard-Wilke in 2019
BornAxel Peter Carl Wilke
1966 (age 57–58)
West Germany
CitizenshipNew Zealander[citation needed]
Alma materUniversity of Canterbury
OccupationTransport planner Edit this on Wikidata
Employer
  • ViaStrada Edit this on Wikidata
Downard-Wilke's voice
recorded July 2024

Axel Peter Carl Downard-Wilke (né Wilke; born 1966)[1] is a New Zealand transport planner and engineer known for his advocacy for cyclists in cities. Born in Germany, he moved to New Zealand for his education, and from 1997 to 2005 he worked for the Christchurch City Council as a traffic engineer, where he became involved in various projects to improve the safety of cycling in the city. He then co-established a consultancy firm practising in the areas of traffic engineering, transportation planning and town planning. Downard-Wilke was a member of the technical team for the New Zealand Cycle Trail Project, and one of the lead authors of the New Zealand Cycle Trail Design Guide first published in February 2010.

Following a coronial inquiry into the safety of cycling, Downard-Wilke was appointed as one of ten independent experts for a Cycling Safety Panel. The recommendations of the Cycling Safety Panel led on to the development of a 2016 framework, Cycling network guidance – planning and design. Downard-Wilke has been a consistent advocate for urban planners to specifically provide for walking, cycling and public transport in cities. In addition to his work as a transport planner, Downard-Wilke is an active Wikipedia editor and administrator. He has been involved in campaigns to improve coverage of New Zealand-related topics on Wikipedia, and has been a member of the management committee of the New Zealand affiliate of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Personal life

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Wilke was born in Germany and lived in Exter and Hanover. He ran his parents' supermarket until he was 24, then began a degree in civil engineering, before moving to New Zealand and completing his degree at the University of Canterbury.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree with first-class honours in 1997, and returned to the university part-time to complete a Master of Engineering degree, graduating in 2002.[2][3] Wilke married in New Zealand in 2011,[1] later changing his surname from Wilke to Downard-Wilke.[4]

In 2019, Downard-Wilke stood alongside incumbent councillor Lan Pham for the Christchurch Central/Ōhoko constituency in the local-body elections for the Canterbury regional government body Environment Canterbury (ECan) held that year.[2][5] He said he was motivated by the climate crisis and wanted to improve public transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[6] Downard-Wilke placed fifth of seven candidates, with two elected.[7] In 2021, Downard-Wilke moved from Christchurch to Golden Bay / Mohua.[8] As of 2023, Downard-Wilke was a member of the Green Party.[9]

Career

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Downard-Wilke worked at Christchurch City Council for eight years from 1997 to 2005.[2] In 2000, in his capacity as a traffic engineer with the council, Downard-Wilke designed a cycle detection system to overcome a problem faced by Christchurch cyclists: some Christchurch intersections are so wide that a cyclist can have difficulty negotiating the intersection before cross traffic starts up. Downard-Wilke's idea was to place detector loops under the road where cyclists would pass. If the loop detected that a cyclist was travelling too slowly to reach the other side during the green phase, the system would delay the light change for a few seconds.[10][11]

While still with Christchurch City Council, Downard-Wilke won an award for 'Best Cycling Promotion' at the Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) Cycle-Friendly Awards in 2005. The award was for a Planning and Design for Cycling training course for transport professionals, to improve their understanding of planning a cycle-friendly environment.[12] The training course was created in 2003 under Downard-Wilke's leadership,[13] and has evolved over the years. The course passed its twentieth anniversary in 2023.[14]

Downard-Wilke and business partner Warren Lloyd started a company named Traffix in 2005. The company had expertise in traffic signals, and specialised in designing streets for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.[15] In 2007, Traffix merged with another company to form ViaStrada. ViaStrada operates in the fields of traffic engineering, transportation planning, town planning and project management.[15] The company offers professional training to engineers and planners in traffic-related fields.[2]

Downard-Wilke was appointed as a project engineer on the technical team for the government's $100 million New Zealand Cycle Trail project which began in 2009 with the aim of building cycle trails all over New Zealand.[6][16][17] He was one of the lead authors of the New Zealand Cycle Trail Design Guide, first published in February 2010.[18]

In 2013, Downard-Wilke was selected by the New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) as one of ten independent experts for a Cycling Safety Panel established in response to a coronial enquiry into the safety of cycling. The report of the Cycling Safety Panel was published in 2014.[19] The Transport Agency has subsequently published multiple updates of progress against the action plan developed in response to the Cycling Safety Panel report.[20] In the book Planning for Walking and Cycling in New Zealand published in 2020, Roger Boulter describes the work of the Cycling Safety Panel as "effectively formulating the government’s strategy on cycling".[21]

Cycling advocacy

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Downard-Wilke has a long-standing interest in cycling, both as a cyclist and as a traffic engineer. He used to cycle 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to primary school, and in 1993 won a 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) cycling race in Vlotho, Germany.[22][2] Downard-Wilke served on the executive committee of the Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) from 2000 until 2009.[23] In October 2008, he was elected co-chairperson (along with Glen Koorey),[24] serving in the position for one year.[25]

Downard-Wilke has been an advocate for cycling in centres other than Christchurch. In 2021, he was publicly critical of Wellington City Council for their failure to provide safer routes for cycling in the city.[26] After his move to Golden Bay / Mohua, he became involved in transport-related matters in the region, taking up the role of chairperson of the Golden Bay Cycle and Walkways Society.[27][28]

Christchurch urban transport

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In 1999, Downard-Wilke urged local government in New Zealand to give priority to forms of transport other than cars, and to specifically provide for walking, cycling and public transport. He noted that in Christchurch, 45% of journeys are of less than five kilometres (3.1 mi), yet only 8.7% of journeys are by bicycle, whereas in some European cities of similar size to Christchurch, cycling is far more common. Downard-Wilke also argued for reduced speed zones, to make cities safer for pedestrians.[29][30]

In 2018, Downard-Wilke called for a section of Colombo Street, a main road through the centre of Christchurch, to be closed to traffic and converted into a pedestrian mall. The rationale was to reduce the traffic that was causing congestion on the rest of the street and improve access for buses travelling to the Bus Interchange. The proposal received 59% support in an online poll by the Stuff website, but Christchurch City Council said it preferred to continue with its current plan and "let things settle".[31][32]

In 2018/19, Downard-Wilke was part of a group advocating for integrated planning for land use and housing in Christchurch, with an emphasis on passenger rail. The group held a series of public workshops to present opportunities for housing and improved public transport based on relocation and redevelopment of the Middleton rail yards.[33][34]

In 2019, Downard-Wilke worked with groups in northern Christchurch advocating for mitigation of the local effects of the planned Christchurch Northern Corridor, a 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) extension of the Christchurch Northern Motorway.[35] Downard-Wilke has pointed out that urban sprawl and the establishment of remote settlements around Christchurch led to many people driving cars into town for work, thereby creating additional transport emissions for the foreseeable future.[36] He has also highlighted the lack of adequate public transport in Christchurch, describing it as the largest city in Australasia without mass rapid transit.[37]

Wikipedia

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Axel Downard-Wilke presenting on Wikipedia's homepage while the homepage featured a video he was in

Downard-Wilke has written around 1800 articles since becoming involved in the Wikipedia community in 2009, and is one of four New Zealand-based Wikipedia administrators from a worldwide total of around 860 (as at 2024).[38][39]

In 2020, Downard-Wilke led a campaign to have macrons used in Māori place names in Wikipedia articles.[40][41] Since 2007, Wikipedia editors had debated whether or not macrons should be used, and there was no consistency among articles or editors.[42] In 2019, the New Zealand Geographic Board added macrons to about 300 place names,[42] so Downard-Wilke suggested that Māori place names be written with macrons in those cases where the New Zealand Geographic Board uses them. This suggestion was adopted in 2020 after a vote by interested editors, and around 300 place names were then changed in Wikipedia articles.[41]

As of 2024, Downard-Wilke is a member of the management committee of Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand, an affiliate of the Wikimedia Foundation.[43]

Selected publications

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  • Wilke, Axel; Appleton, Ian (March 2005). "Audit of signalised intersections in New Zealand – Recommendations for Practitioners". Road & Transport Research. 14 (1). ProQuest 215247969.
  • Downard-Wilke, Axel; Woodward, Alistair; Gerlach, Jürgen (2017). "Safe … but only if it's efficient". Asia-Pacific Cycle Congress 2017. Christchurch – via ViaStrada.
  • Hughes, Tim; Downard-Wilke, Axel; Gregory, Megan (2017). "Around about time to make cycle-friendly roundabouts?". Asia-Pacific Cycle Congress 2017. Christchurch – via ViaStrada.
  • Downard-Wilke, Axel (2018). "Parking policy – the San Francisco experience". Transportation Conference 2018. Queenstown – via ViaStrada.
  • Gregory, Megan; Downard-Wilke, Axel; Dejong, Steve (2019). "Directional cycle signals". Transportation Conference 2019. Wellington – via ViaStrada.
  • Downard-Wilke, Axel (2020). "Zone 0". Transportation Conference 2020. Christchurch – via ViaStrada.
  • Downard-Wilke, Axel (17–19 March 2021). "Blind driveways". 2WALKandCYCLE Conference 2021. Dunedin – via ViaStrada.
  • Downard-Wilke, Axel; Lieswyn, John; Lloyd, Warren; Gregory, Megan (2022). "Why don't we build safe roundabouts?". Australasian Road Safety Conference 2022. Christchurch – via ViaStrada.

References

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  1. ^ a b Plöger, Oliver (25 February 2011). "Das Erdbeben überlebt". Neue Westfälische (in German). Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Evans, Julia (6 June 2019). "The Axel that keeps Chch moving". The Star. pp. 16, 18, 21. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Graduate search". University of Canterbury. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Letters". The Press. 16 March 2013. pp. A22. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024 – via quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz.
  5. ^ "Time to 'throw an axel in the works'". The Star. 25 July 2019. p. 4.
  6. ^ a b Day, Louis (25 July 2019). "Time to 'throw an Axel in the works'". The Star. p. 4.
  7. ^ Environment Canterbury (17 October 2019). "Environment Canterbury: 2019 Triennial Elections: Declaration of Result". Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2024 – via Internet Archive.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Last Week Axel Wilke". Tuesday Club. 31 October 2021. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024.
  9. ^ Williams, David (14 August 2023). "TOP promises leg up for under-30s, with civic service on the side". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  10. ^ Crean, Mike (11 May 2000). "Wide Chch avenues test city cyclists". The Press. ProQuest 314299563.
  11. ^ Wilke, Axel (November 2001). "Cyclists at Wide Signalised Intersections: All-Red Time Extension with Single Loop" (PDF). ViaStrada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  12. ^ "CCC wins at CAN awards". The Press. 14 November 2005. ProQuest 314754194.
  13. ^ Boulter 2020, p. 40.
  14. ^ "20 Years of Cycle Training in NZ! | ViaStrada". viastrada.nz. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Company history | ViaStrada". viastrada.nz. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  16. ^ "The New Zealand Cycle Trail Story". Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trails. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  17. ^ "New Zealand Cycle Trail – TAG | ViaStrada". viastrada.nz. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  18. ^ New Zealand Cycle Trail Design Guide (PDF) (4th ed.). Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. February 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  19. ^ Safer journeys for people who cycle – Cycling Safety Panel final report and recommendations (PDF). New Zealand Transport Agency – Waka Kotahi. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Cycling Safety Panel". Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  21. ^ Boulter 2020, p. 44.
  22. ^ "[untitled]". Vlothoer Anzeiger. 31 August 1993.
  23. ^ Wilke, Axel (December 2009). "Good-bye from a fellow human being" (PDF). Chainlinks. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  24. ^ "New Executive Team for CAN | Cycling Action Network NZ". can.org.nz. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  25. ^ "CAN AGM minutes 2009 | Cycling Action Network NZ". can.org.nz. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  26. ^ Downard-Wilke, Axel (27 May 2021). "The guerilla bike lane of Wellington was born out of the betrayal of cyclists". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  27. ^ Chin, Frances (9 November 2022). "Bridge opened in memory; of two Golden Bay locals". The Nelson Mail. p. 2. ProQuest 2733391481.
  28. ^ "About Us". GB Cycle and Walkways Society. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  29. ^ Wilke, Axel (July 1999). "How will you get to work tomorrow?". Transportant. 28 (6). NZ Chartered Institute of Transport: 4.
  30. ^ Crean, Mike (23 June 1999). "Buses, cycles urged for city transport". The Press. ProQuest 314272662.
  31. ^ Hayward, Michael (3 December 2018). "Calls for pedestrian mall in Colombo St". The Press. ProQuest 2140583867.
  32. ^ Downard-Wilke, Axel (25 November 2018). "Snail's pace on Colombo Street". Talking Transport. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  33. ^ Hayward, Michael (2 September 2019). "Kiwirail has no plans to move from land mooted for new housing project". Stuff. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  34. ^ Downard-Wilke, Axel (3 September 2019). "MaRTI debrief". Talking Transport. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Chch council considers new transport plans after public pressure". RNZ. 13 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  36. ^ Gourley, Erin (5 November 2022). "Shrinking cities partly blamed on housing". The Press. ProQuest 2731773531.
  37. ^ McDonald, Liz (6 May 2023). "Traffic jams worsening in Christchurch as population sprawls". The Press. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  38. ^ Deguara, Brittney (3 February 2020). "The Kiwis behind Wikipedia". Stuff. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  39. ^ Richards, Jo (1 February 2024). "Bay hosting Wikipedia edit-a-thon". Golden Bay Weekly. p. 9. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024 – via issuu.com.
  40. ^ "Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (New Zealand)/Archive 2:RfC: Proposal to add macrons to New Zealand naming conventions". Wikipedia. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Battle of the macrons: Wikipedia debate ends". NZ Herald. 22 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Christchurch man proposes Wikipedia change to include macrons". NZ Herald. 29 January 2020. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Structure and Governance". Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.

Sources

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