Road Safety
Roads and vehicles are an everyday part of life for Aucklanders. As a driver, a passenger, a pedestrian, or as a cyclist we can all learn safer ways of negotiating the road traffic environment.
As traffic continues to increase in the Auckland region, so does the risk of road injury and pollution. The school journey contributes significantly to this congestion and poses its own hazards.
The result is a vicious cycle of vehicle traffic which means that parents are even more worried about letting their children walk or cycle to school, creating more traffic as they drive them.
A TravelWise School Travel Plan is a set of practical actions which aims to make it safer to walk or cycle to school, as well as reducing car trips to and from school.
Safety at TravelWise Schools
The TravelWise Schools programme works with local councils and RoadSafe Auckland to create a safer travelling environment for children who walk and cycle, including:
|  | Putting in safer pedestrian crossings
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| | Enforcing parking restrictions and speeds around school gates |
| | Safety audits on Walking School Bus routes
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| | Health and safety training for Walking School Bus volunteers |
| | Promoting safe cycling Promoting safety and safe crossings around rail way lines Road signs installed reducing speeds and highlighting caution around schools |
Research has shown that Travel Plan schools have reduced pedestrian and cycle crashes in their area by 50% when compared to schools without Travel Plans.
Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety
There are things you can do to make your travel to school safer.
Pedestrian safety is a major concern for the Auckland region, especially in the highly urban areas of Auckland City and Manukau City, and especially amongst children. For safety tips visit the Walking Section.
Each year in Auckland there are approximately 200 reported casualties involving cyclists . For tips on safer cycling visit the Cycling Section.
Driving Safely
If you are driving, you too can make a difference to road safety by:
| | Slowing down – there’s no such thing as safe speeding
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| | Drive sober, and don’t let friends or family drive drunk or under any influence
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| | Share the road - watch out for and be courteous to other road users |
