ARTA Media Release
27 February 2009

A new generation learns to walk to school

School children around Auckland will be pulling their socks up and putting their feet first with the encouragement of their parents, teachers and caregivers next week, as the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), together with Auckland’s 7 Territorial Local Authorities, launches Travel Wise Walk to School Week.

Travel Wise Walk to School Week, which runs from 2-6 March, officially marks the start of Feet First Walk to School Every Week, a national campaign aimed at promoting walking to school, run by the NZ Transport Authority.

Over 70 schools are participating in the competition which means that more than 28,579 students in the Auckland region will be encouraged to walk to school with a caregiver or on a Walking School Bus. Schools will monitor participation levels from students, and those which record the highest numbers of children walking or using sustainable transport will be in with a chance of winning hundreds of dollars of book vouchers.

Sue Kendall Aorta’s Walking School Bus Co-ordinator says “The current generation of children really don’t have the experience of walking to school everyday as previous generations have, and it is something that we are extremely keen to promote as the benefits are clearly abundant.

“Walking to school helps keep children fit and active, it’s a great way to meet people in the community, it’s environmentally friendly and of course in the current economic climate it’s important to note that it’s also free. More people travelling to school on foot also equates to less cars on the roads, and less cars at the school gates.

“Auckland’s highly successful Walking School Bus programme, just one initiative helping to make it easier for children to walk to school, takes 1,944 cars off Auckland’s congested roads every morning at peak time, and the children and adults participating in the scheme enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of the gentle exercise.

“We hope that Travel Wise Walk to School Week will help to make it even easier and more fun to leave the car at home and walk to school instead.” Ms Kendall says.

Maxx the Pucker and a number of children’s television favourites including Bryan and Bobby, Matt and Dana from Studio 2, Kano, Sam and Drew from Sticky TV will also be joining in the fun and walking to school with students in Auckland during the course of the week, as will Shorthand Street star Anna Jullienne.

If you would like more details on TravelWise Walk to School Week or information on Walking School Buses please contact Sue Kendall on 09 815 2546 or visit the Travelwise website www.travelwise.org.nz.

For more information on Feet First Walk to School Every Week campaign please go to www.feetfirst.govt.nz .

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