AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL MEDIA RELEASE

14 September 2006

School road safety given positive boost at transport committee

Auckland City demonstrated its dedication to improving road safety yesterday when the Transport and Urban Linkages Committee endorsed a number of fresh initiatives, particularly focused on safety at schools. The committee backed a new process for prioritising 40km/h speed zones for schools with highest risk of road-related crashes.

A speed zone trial at St Josephs School in Onehunga started in May this year has already shown a significant reduction in motorists’ speeds during busy times before and after school.

Based on the success of school travel plans in high priority schools, the committee supported extending travel plans to enable more schools to participate in the programme. School travel plans are part of Auckland City’s overarching strategy to create more travel choices and make it safer and fun for students to walk or cycle, or catch the train or bus to school.

The council is also launching a Bike Better safety programme in intermediate schools for young novice cyclists. Councillor Richard Simpson, Transport and Urban Linkages Committee chairperson, says these road safety initiatives play an important role in encouraging sustainable travel to and from school.

“Current trends for school travel are clearly untenable,” he says. “Of the city’s 76,000 school children, 54 per cent arrive at school by car each morning. We are determined to get more children walking and cycling safely to school.”

Mr Simpson says that the council has already achieved great success introducing walking school buses, with more than 1800 children participating in schools across the city.

“I would like to thank all school staff, parents and students working towards making their school a walking and cycling school.”

ENDS

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