Schools programme

Road safety at Douglas Park School

The Safer journeys summary identifies a need to increase the benefit of school road safety education. Greater Wellington staff work with our road safety partners to establish a culture of safe and active transport for the journey to school. Through the school travel plan process, and by promoting initiatives such as Feet First and Movin’ March, we encourage parents to work with schools to increase road sense and safety skills in their children.
Working with local council partners on the school travel plan process has:

• encouraged the uptake of low cost and effective measures to reduce congestion at school gates such as, walking school buddies and buses, Walk once a week promotions, Movin’ March and cyclist skills training along with road safety co-ordinators and NZ Police
•  raised the profile of walking as a safe option for the journey to school with over 11000 students and their families. Children learn road safety by using footpaths and crossing roads, not from sitting in a car.
•  increased school communities’ awareness of the need for safer speeds around schools. Road controlling authorities have invested in engineering and traffic calming solutions around their schools, creating a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.