New Cycle Track for the Naenae Community

This Friday Rata Street School’s new bike track will be opened.

For several years the school has run regular bike skills training sessions for its pupils on an old track but some children have not been able to attend as they didn’t own a bike. Now the track has been upgraded and has a set of bikes and a bike storage container so all children will be able to access the 450m figure-of-eight track.

Principal Dave Appleyard says, “the benefits of the track are bigger than just creating skilful riders. More kids enjoying themselves on bikes means more exercise, better concentration in class, better health overall, and less cars on the road as more pupils feel confident biking to school.”

The track will be open on weekends for any local children and their caregivers to enjoy. “Thanks to the efforts of the fundraising team, sponsors and supporters, we now have this brilliant facility for our whole community to use.”

Hutt City Council, the Wright Family Foundation, Bike On New Zealand Charitable Trust and Ministry of Education, as well as extensive local fundraising drives, raised a total of $60,000 to create the track, purchase bikes and the storage container.

As part of the Government’s commitment to making cycling a safer, more attractive choice for children and adults, the NZ Transport Agency contributed $12,500 via the Bike On Trust.  This contribution is part of their wider investment in cycling projects in the Hutt Valley through the Urban Cycleways Programme.

Hutt City Council’s school travel planner, Greater Wellington’s Pedal Ready programme, the local Police school community officer, and Biketec (Youthwise Trust) will continue to support the school with bike training.

School neighbours Naenae Playcentre and the Naenae Community Kindergarten will be regular users of the track. Naenae Kindergarten has already booked a fundraising Cycle-thon later in Term One.

ENDS

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