Axel Downard-Wilke

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Axel Downard-Wilke
Downard-Wilke in 2019
Born	Axel Peter Carl Wilke 1966 (age 57–58) West Germany
Citizenship	New Zealander[citation needed]
Alma mater	University of Canterbury
Occupation	Transport planner
Employer	ViaStrada

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 enquiry 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.