Wairarapa walking buses foot it through winter

Wairarapa walking buses foot it through winter

It may be mid-winter but several Wairarapa walking school buses are continuing to ‘drive’ through it.

“It’s heartening to see children taking advantage of the bus at this wintry time of year,” says Deb Tangen, a teacher at Masterton Primary School.

Masterton Primary School’s walking school bus leaves from Cockburn Street. Walking school buses are led by parent volunteers, and children are able to ‘get on board’ at various points along the route to and from school.

The walking school bus is part of Masterton Primary School’s travel plan, which it set up last year. School travel plans are made up of a range of actions, agreed on by the school community, which enable children to travel to and from school in a safe and healthy way.

Greater Wellington Regional Council works with local road safety staff and schools to develop the travel plans. Rebecca Jamieson, Greater Wellington’s Wairarapa school travel plan coordinator, says research shows that children who walk, cycle or scooter to school arrive more relaxed, alert and ready to learn. “Travelling to school independently also enables kids to learn basic road safety skills that will stay with them for life – and they have lots of fun along the way.

She says a major concern that parents have about children walking to school is safety. “Many parents say they would be more comfortable with their kids walking to schools if they were supervised by an adult or had friends to walk with. So the walking buses, with parent volunteers and lots of other kids, are a great way to address this concern; parents can volunteer maybe one day a week so it gives them flexibility.

“The walking buses are a valuable stepping stone, helping kids gain the confidence and skills for travelling independently to and from school. We really encourage parent volunteer drivers to teach road safety skills on their buses and allow kids to make some decisions rather than simply following the ‘mother or father duck’!”

Along with Masterton Primary, several other schools in the Wairarapa have also set up walking school buses. These include St Patrick’s in Masterton, Greytown School and Fernridge School (Fernridge’s walking bus is currently having a break).

Rebecca says recent generous donations of bright yellow vests for the drivers of all the school buses, from David Dale, Manager of AMI Masterton, are greatly appreciated.

Mr Dale says AMI is proud to support the walking buses. “The walking buses not only provides a safe means for children to walk to school but it encourages them to get active, learn road safety skills and it helps the environment by reducing car usage which means less pollution. We look forward to extending our support to other Wairarapa schools.

The walking school buses have also been given sashes and bag tags from Ruth Locker at the Wairarapa Road Safety Council. Ruth has also assisted some schools with mapping out their walking bus routes, identifying suitable crossing points and avoiding hazards.

Rebecca Jamieson says the Wairarapa walking school buses are a truly collaborative effort. “The freedom and fun of walking or cycling to school is an experience that people remember throughout their lives. It’s fantastic to see support for this great cause coming from various sectors of the community.”

Further information: Rebecca Jamieson, rebecca.jamieson@gw.govt.nz.