Walking or riding to school

Newsletter article:

Walking, riding a bike, scooter or skateboard, catching public transport, or even a combination of each are fun, safe and healthy ways for children to travel to and from school.

Travelling this way is one of the easiest and most time efficient ways to ensure children receive the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day. It also helps to reduce congestion and increase safety around the school, with less cars on the road.

Supporting resources and more information is available on the Transport Canberra website.

Facebook post:

Walking, riding a bike, scooter or skateboard, catching public transport, or even a combination of each are fun, safe and healthy ways for children to travel to and from school. These forms of travel also help to reduce congestion and our carbon footprint.

Transport Canberra has resources available to support families wishing to walk or ride to school. http://bit.ly/ATschools

Safe parking behaviours

Newsletter article:

Unsafe driving and parking behaviours increase the potential road safety risk for children around schools. Road safety is a shared responsibility, it is important the road rules are followed near our school to ensure the entire school community feels safe.

Please remember children are more at risk than adults around schools because they are smaller and less visible to drivers. They are also less predictable and less experienced, which makes them more likely to make errors of judgement.

Failing to follow simple road rules like parking on the verge, in no stopping zones, in bus stops, near children’s crossings, on footpaths or across driveways increases the risk to children around schools. Please do the right thing to create a safe environment around our school.

Facebook post:

Unsafe driving and parking behaviours increase the potential road safety risk for children around schools. Please remember children are more at risk than adults around schools because they are smaller and less visible to drivers.

If you need to drive, follow the road rules around our school to ensure the entire school community feels safe. http://bit.ly/safeparking

Part way is ok

Newsletter article:

Traffic congestion is a common issue around most schools during the morning and afternoon peak periods. Roads aren’t designed to cope with the sudden increase in traffic volumes for 15-20 minute periods each morning and afternoon. There is no traffic engineering solution to resolve this problem, roads and car parks simply aren’t built to meet the high demand over a short period.

If you need to drive, a simple way to reduce the congestion around our school is to use part way drop off or collection points. Part way points can significantly reduce the burden on the school car park and the local road network. They are ideal for families who live too far away from the school to walk or ride for the entire journey.

Consider a car park at an oval near the school or a quiet street that provides safe and easy pedestrian access. Not only will you help to reduce congestion around the school, children will also receive the health benefits for walking or riding part of the trip.

Facebook post:

Traffic congestion is a common issue around most schools during the morning and afternoon peak periods. You can help to reduce congestion around our school by using part way drop off or collection points.

Part way points can significantly reduce the burden on the school car park and the local road network. Remember that part way is OK!! http://bit.ly/partwaypoints

Safe driving around the school

Newsletter article:

School zones operate around ACT schools between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday during school term. The 40km/h zones are provided to ensure children remain safe throughout the day, not just during the peak times.

Children are less predictable than adults and may be distracted and not necessarily aware they are entering the road or of on-coming traffic. It is important motorists are driving in a manner in which it is safe to stop if required.

Please remember that 40km/h is the maximum permissible speed and that it may be more appropriate to drive at a lower speed, particularly during the peak periods when a large number of children are crossing the road. Please help to keep our community safe.

Facebook post:

School zones operate around ACT schools between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday during school term. Please remember to drive at or below the speed limit at all times to ensure our school community remains safe. http://bit.ly/ATschools

Parking restrictions protect safety

Newsletter article:

Parking restrictions are used around schools to increase safety for children. Some of the common signage used in school zones includes:

No stopping – vehicles are not permitted to stop or park for any purpose

No parking – vehicles are permitted to stop, however only to pick up or set down passengers and must drive on within two minutes of stopping

Bus zone – the area is reserved for use by buses only, unless signposted for other use at certain times

Children’s crossing – a part-time crossing that operates when one or more crossing flags are displayed, giving all pedestrians priority over vehicles.

Parking Operations and police regularly patrol school zones to enforce safe behaviours, so please remember to play your part in helping to build a safe school environment.

Facebook post:

Parking restrictions are used around schools to increase safety for children. Please obey the road rules at all times around our school to ensure children are safe.

Check out the traffic management around schools information sheet on the Transport Canberra website to learn about some of the common signage used around schools. http://bit.ly/TMschoolsbrochure

Keeping our crossings safe

Newsletter article:

Teaching children how to cross the road safely is one of the most important things you can do to ensure they stay safe. Children’s and pedestrian crossings provide amenity for children that need to cross roads, but children still need to be alert when using them.

When driving and parking around the school, please keep a look out for pedestrians when approaching crossings and remember to stop and allow pedestrians to clear the road completely prior to proceeding.

Remember to never park on the approach to or on a children’s or pedestrian crossing, as it reduces visibility and safety, particularly for children who are less visible to motorists. More information is available on the Transport Canberra website.

Facebook post:

Children’s and pedestrian crossings are used near schools to increase safety and amenity for children. Please keep the crossings around our school clear from cars to ensure children are visible and safe when crossing the road. http://bit.ly/crossingbrochure

Creating safe school environments

Newsletter article:

Creating a safe environment around our school requires a collaborative approach from everyone, including parents, teachers, children and the broader community. Please drive slowly around the school (particularly in the car park), be courteous to other drivers and show respect to teachers, they only have the interests of our children at heart.

A great way to improve safety around the school is to decrease the number of cars on the road, particularly during the peak times. Encouraging children to walk or ride to school has many great benefits, including less congestion, increased safety, and healthier and happier children.

If you need to drive your children to school, please obey the road rules and be polite and respectful to other drivers and teachers, because a little bit of courtesy can go a long way.

Facebook post:

Creating a safe school environment requires a collaborative approach from everyone in the school community. Remember to drive slowly around the school, including the car park, and be courteous and respectful to other motorists. A little bit of patience will go a long way towards ensuring children stay safe. http://bit.ly/roadsafetybrochure

Stop look listen think

Newsletter article:

Teaching children how to cross the road safely is an important part of their development. It is also important to show children safe routes to school, with minimal road crossings. Utilising underpasses and walking on footpaths through parklands is a great way to ensure children avoid conflict with traffic.

If children need to cross a road, encourage them to use children’s or pedestrian crossings, traffic signals, refuge islands or places with good visibility. And remember to teach them to STOP, LOOK, LISTEN and THINK before they attempt to cross a road, even at dedicated crossings.

The Constable Kenny website has some great educational resources to teach children to stay OK on the road, including a video to explain how to stay safe when crossing a road.

Facebook post:

Teaching children to cross the road safely is an important stage of their development. Children should be encouraged to STOP, LOOK, LISTEN and THINK before they attempt to cross a road. There are useful resources available on the Constable Kenny website, including some educational videos. http://bit.ly/constablekenny

Reduce school congestion

Newsletter article:

While the school can become congested during the peak times, illegal car parking and speeding isn’t tolerated as it creates an unsafe environment for children. This includes parking on nature strips, the verges, on street corners and near children’s crossings.

Some important things to remember:

avoid parking in the pick-up and set down area parking on or near children’s crossings reduces visibility drivers should not leave their cars unaccompanied unless

they are in a dedicated car park parking on the verge is dangerous, children shouldn’t need to navigate cars.

Try parking a little further from the school and walking to meet your child, or arrange a meeting point so they can walk to meet you. It’s a great way to avoid the congestion and helps children to be physically active every day. More information is available on the Transport Canberra website.

Facebook post:

A great way to increase road safety around the school is to reduce the number of cars accessing the school, particularly when children are most likely crossing roads. Encouraging children to walk or ride to school – or using part way drop off and collection points – is an easy way to minimise traffic. If you need to drive, please remember to park legally and safely. http://bit.ly/ATschools

Help to keep children safe

Newsletter article:

Children are more at risk than adults around schools because they are smaller and less visible to motorists. They are also less predictable and less experienced, which makes them more likely to make errors of judgement.

Failing to follow simple road rules increases the risk to children around schools. While schools can become congested during the peak times, illegal driving and parking behaviours are not acceptable as it increases the risk of injury for children.

Parking Operations regularly patrol school zones to support school communities to keep children safe. Please do the right thing to create a safe environment around our school.

Facebook post:

Following the road rules is a simple way to provide a safe environment for children around the school. Parking signs are used to restrict parking in locations that put children at risk. By parking in these locations, you are reducing visibility to other motorists and increasing the potential risk of an incident. If you need to drive, please obey the rules. http://bit.ly/safeparking

Walking or riding is healthy and fun

Newsletter article:

Walking and riding to school is a fun, safe and healthy way to travel to and from school each day. It is also a great way for children to develop friendships and arrive energised and ready to learn.

Some important things to consider before encouraging children to walk or ride to school include:

walking or riding a number of times with your children, highlighting the safest route with limited road crossings

talking to other parents in your area and consider setting up a walking or riding group with other children

utilising part way points to teach your children to travel independently over a short distance initially.

More children walking or riding to school helps to create a hive of activity around the school, which helps to reduce vehicle speeds and creates safety in numbers for students.

Facebook post:

Walking and riding to school is a fun, safe and healthy way to travel to and from school each day. It also helps to create a hive of activity around the school, which reduces vehicle speeds and creates a safety in numbers approach for students. http://bit.ly/ATschoolsvideo

Avoiding the school peak times

Newsletter article:

Traffic congestion at the school is concentrated around a short peak each day at the school start and finish times. To help manage congestion and create a safer environment for children, families are encouraged to:

walk or ride to and from school use part way drop off and collection points reduce the number of days you drive avoid the peak times.

Children are welcome to arrive 30 minutes prior to school commencing and can wait safely near the school office 10-15 minutes after the bell each afternoon. Arriving 20 minutes earlier in the morning and 10-15 minutes later in the afternoon can make a significant improvement to the flow of traffic around the school.

Facebook post:

Traffic congestion at the school is concentrated around a short peak each day at the school start and finish times. To help manage congestion and create a safer environment for the children, consider arriving 20 minutes earlier in the morning and 10-15 minutes later in the afternoon, which can make a significant improvement to the traffic flow around the school. http://bit.ly/schools_traffic_management

Slow down to keep children safe

Newsletter article:

School environments are busy during the peak periods, please remember to slow down and be alert for other motorists and pedestrians, particularly children.

If you use the school car park to collect children, please only drive at walking speed (10km/h) and be on the lookout for children. Motorists are also encouraged to drive at a safe speed on the road, which may be well below 40km/h during the peak periods.

Children aren’t necessarily predictable and can be easily distracted when they are with friends or excited to see mum or dad, so they might not be watching out for you.

Children are welcome to wait safely near the front office until you arrive, so please remember to drive slowly and take care even when you are running a few minutes late.

Facebook post:

The school is busy during the peak periods, please remember to slow down and be alert for other motorists and pedestrians, particularly children. If you use the school car park to collect children, drive at walking speed (10km/h) and be on the lookout for children. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. http://bit.ly/roadsafetybrochure

Part way points ease congestion

Newsletter article:

Traffic congestion is common around schools during the morning and afternoon peak periods. There is no traffic engineering solution to resolve this problem, roads and car parks simply aren’t built to meet the high demand over a 15-20 minute period.

To help alleviate congestion and improve the health and wellbeing of our school community, we are keen to encourage:

travel via walking, riding, scooting, skating or public transport

use of part way drop off and collection points motorists avoiding the peak times (8:30-9:00am and 2:55-3:10pm)

If you need to drive to school, try reducing the number of days you drive or varying the drop off or collection points, because even a slight reduction in car volumes can have a big impact.

Facebook post:

Traffic congestion is common around the school during the peak periods. To help alleviate congestion and improve the health and wellbeing of our school community, we are keen to promote walking or riding to school, which may include part way points near the school. http://bit.ly/partwaypoints

Enjoy more family time

Newsletter article:

Walking or riding to school is a great way to increase family time and provides an opportunity to teach children important road and community safety messages. In today’s time poor society, it doubles as an opportunity to include some incidental physical activity into your day.

For families that live too far from the school to walk or ride the entire way, part way points provide an opportunity to walk or ride part of the trip with your children. They also help to reduce congestion and increase safety around the school.

Spending a few extra minutes to arrive at school each day can have long lasting health benefits for you and your family.

Facebook post:

Walking or riding to school is a great way to increase family time and provides an opportunity to teach children important road and community safety messages. Even if you don’t have capacity to walk or ride every day, committing to travelling this way once or twice a week can have long lasting health benefits and will reduce congestion around the school. http://bit.ly/AT_schools

Healthy and active

Newsletter article:

Walking or riding to school is one of the easiest and most time efficient ways to ensure children receive the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day. It also helps to reduce congestion and increase safety around schools, with less cars on the road.

Most children enjoy walking or riding to school with their friends and prefer this mode of transport, which allows parents to free up some time in the day rather than dropping off and collecting children.

There are supporting resources available on the Transport Canberra website for families wishing to start allowing their children to walk or ride to school.

Facebook post:

Active travel is one of the easiest and most time efficient ways to ensure children receive the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day. It also helps to reduce congestion and increase safety around the school, with less cars on the road. Have you considered walking or riding to school with your children to teach them safe routes and behaviours along the way? http://bit.ly/ATschools

Enforcement around schools

Newsletter article:

Parking Operations use a Licence Plate Recognition vehicle (or electronic chalking), which regularly patrols school environments to increase safety for children. Motorists that commit an offence will receive their infringement notice in the mail (rather than on their windscreen) 5-7 days after the offence.

While the school can become congested during the peak times, illegal parking should be avoided at all times as it creates an unsafe environment for children and local residents. Parents are welcome to park on side streets around the school, but please remember to park legally. Infringements for parking on nature strips, footpaths, verges, street corners and near children’s crossings start from $114.

More information is available on the Transport Canberra website to promote safe behaviours around schools. Please help to make our school community safe.

Facebook post:

If you need to drive to school, remember to park legally at all times. Parking Operations use a Licence Plate Recognition vehicle (or electronic chalking), which regularly patrols school environments to increase safety for children.

While the school can become congested during the peak times, illegal parking should be avoided as it creates an unsafe environment for children and local residents. http://bit.ly/safeparking

Road safety education

Newsletter article:

Teaching children how to safely navigate traffic and the environment around schools is an important stage of their development.

Schools can be busy environments during the peak periods, with lots of pedestrian and traffic movements happening at a similar time. Walking with children is a great way to highlight some of the potential hazards (e.g. roads) and provides an opportunity to teach children how to stay safe.

Being a good role model is a great way to teach children, because children learn from the behaviours displayed by others. So remember to use dedicated crossings where possible and be cautious and alert for traffic when crossing the road, as it is likely you are teaching children even when you don’t realise.

Facebook post:

Schools can be busy environments during the peak periods, with lots of pedestrian and traffic movements happening at a similar time. Teaching children how to safely navigate traffic and the environment around schools is an important step to encourage independence. The Constable Kenny website has some useful resources to educate children. http://bit.ly/constablekenny

Pick up and set down zone

Newsletter article:

The pick up and set down zone at the school (commonly referred to as the kiss and drop area) is designed to increase traffic flow and reduce congestion, by allowing parents to quickly drop off or collect children. To ensure the area works as efficiently as possible, please remember these useful tips:

drive very slowly through the car park (max 10km/h) never park in the pick-up and set down zone children should always depart and enter the vehicle directly

onto the footpath, not the road children should have their bags readily available so they can

quickly depart/enter the car be patient and courteous when driving near the school.

Remember road safety is a shared responsibility around the school, please follow the rules so everyone remains safe.

Facebook post:

The pick up and set down zone at the school is designed to increase traffic flow and reduce congestion, by allowing parents to quickly drop off or collect children. To ensure the area works as efficiently as possible, please remember to never park in the zone and do a lap if children aren’t ready to be collected. http://bit.ly/pickupsetdown

Reducing school traffic

Newsletter article:

Reducing and managing traffic around the school is everyone’s responsibility. By reducing the number of cars on the road, as a school community we can increase safety for our students and reduce our environmental impact.

Walking and riding to school is a simple way to reduce traffic around the school. If this isn’t convenient every day, committing to walk or ride once or twice a week can make a big difference.

If everyone opts to walk or ride once a week, it can reduce traffic volumes by 20% around the school. If everyone increased this to two days per week, traffic volumes will be reduced by 40% and suddenly the school doesn’t face a congestion issue.

More information and supporting resources are available on the Transport Canberra website.

Facebook post:

Reducing and managing traffic around the school is everyone’s responsibility. By reducing the number of cars on the road, as a school community we can increase safety for our students and reduce our environmental impact. Consider reducing the days you drive or try using part way points. http://bit.ly/partwaypoints