Getting There - On Foot, By Cycle - Priority 8 Part 2
Last updated on
20/05/2009 5:48 p.m.
A strategy to advance walking and cycling in New Zealand transport
February 2005
Walking school buses and school travel plans encourage children out of cars in North Shore City
Travel to education makes up around 40% of morning peak trips in Auckland. In Auckland's North Shore, research has shown that 73% of primary pupils live within a kilometre of their school, yet 53% are still being driven to and from school daily.
North Shore City Council is encouraging more children to walk and cycle to school through an extensive walking school bus network and by helping schools develop customised 'travel plans'. In 2004, more than 50 walking school bus routes were operating at 25 primary schools in the city, involving 740 children.
In addition, four schools had completed customised travel plans. A further 24 schools, including two intermediates and three secondary schools, were in the process of developing travel plans, and the Council hopes to cover the city's 80 schools within three years.
To support its school travel initiatives, the Council employs a full-time TravelWise to School co-ordinator plus a part-time road safety co-ordinator to help support the City's network of voluntary walking school bus co-ordinators. In addition, a team of five part-time 'travel planners' works directly with local schools to develop customised travel plans in consultation with boards of trustees, principals, parents, students, local residents and teachers.
The school travel plan process involves taking a thorough look at transport to a particular school or cluster of schools and identifying how to make it easier and safer for pupils to walk, cycle or catch the bus to school. Actions to reduce car trips and encourage more walking and cycling could include restricting parking, promotional activities, putting in new pedestrian crossings, starting a walking school bus, developing safe cycle paths, or installing secure bike parking and lockers for children.
In partnership with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, the Council is also piloting a travel planning software programme (based on Geographic Information Systems) that can be integrated into the school curriculum. Students can prepare and print aerial maps of their school area, analyse survey information, locate their own houses, view property and road boundaries, find out distances from their homes to school, map routes to school, and find bus stops, cycleways and footpaths using the software.
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