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Have a say on making walk to school safer

A NEW online survey is seeking feedback from families that walk or ride to school.

Set up by Shadow Minister for Active Transport, Jo Haylen, the School Safety Survey aims to put school safety front and centre and is open to parents, carers, teachers and local residents.
State MP for Auburn, Lynda Voltz, said the weekend’s “horrendous weather conditions” were a reminder of how dangerous our roads can be.
“We want to make getting to school safer for all our children and I would urge parents to get involved in our school safety survey.”
Ms Haylen, says the survey will help make it clear where improvements can be made.
She said only 30 per cent of the million or so school students travelling to and from school today, would get there by walking or riding, compared to 75 per cent 40 years ago.
“We all know about the school holiday effect on our roads. If we can just reduce car trips by five per cent, traffic speeds would increase by 50 per cent,” she said.
“Parents know the health benefits of their kids walking or riding to school and they know it helps beat congestion on our roads, too, but many believe it’s just not safe for them to do so.
“Walking or riding to school is never going to possible for everyone but if we can fix connections, make it easier and safer, there are big wins for our kids health, our community and our environment.”
Complete the survey before March 13 at nswschoolsafety.com.