Councillor Chris Harris

With all the talk on climate change, greenhouse emissions, traffic congestion, childhood obesity and safety at school you would think that our councils and government would have whole departments supporting walking school buses.

But here in NSW, the premier state, there appears to be no council or government initiative directed at promoting or encouraging walking school buses. Such initiatives are left to individual schools and their P&Cs and it seems that no walking school buses operate in the whole of Sydney or the state of NSW.

So much for our politicians’ bleatings about looking after our children and the environment.

But that will change if Deputy Lord Mayor and Greens candidate for Sydney Chris Harris has his way.

Chris believes that the state government should:

• Promote walking school buses to the community
• Work with councils to support and run walking to school programs
• Cover insurance for the schools involved in walking school buses
• Put in place incentive programs to encourage schools, P&Cs and parents to participate in the walking school bus.

What exactly is a walking school bus?
A walking school bus is a fun, safe and active way for children to travel to school. It is a group of primary school aged children who walk to school along a safe route accompanied by adult volunteers, driver and conductors. It is usually formed with one parent “driving” at the front of the bus and another parent at the rear. The walking bus picks children up at designated stops and designated times along the way and “drives” them to school.

What are the benefits?

• Fewer cars on the roads around the school makes for a safer environment for children
• Less cars means less pollution and less greenhouse gas emissions
• Children are healthier
• Children learn road sense and become confident with traffic safety.
• Creates a real sense of community as children get to know each other, parents get to know each other and the children and the entire group gets to know the people on the street where they walk.
• Children can participate in class discussions about air quality and greenhouse issues.
• Children arrive at school energised and ready to learn.

In Victoria, 58 councils support 200 primary schools where over 3200 children walk to school via the walking school bus program.

Brisbane council supports 17 operational walking school buses with over 500 children walking.

In Canberra over 16 schools are involved, covering over 35 routes with a total of at least 62 walks a week. In 2007 there will be three to four more schools coming on line adding an extra four to five walking routes.

While in tiny Tasmania where cars produce 12% of the greenhouse gas emissions produced on the island, walking school buses are being used to deal with the issues of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, greenhouse emissions and health.

Back in NSW. In 1975 we had 80% of our primary school children walking to school. Now, 85% of them are dropped off and picked up at school. This trend needs to be reversed.

Driving children to school adds to greenhouse emissions, increases morning traffic, causes congestion around our schools, adds to danger in school carparks, increases child obesity, decreases child fitness, provides no road and pedestrian skills and discourages independence and community interaction.

Yet in NSW what action do we get from the Labor government? - Zilch! The Greens believe this is not good enough.

If elected as your member for Sydney in 2007, Chris will work with surrounding councils to introduce walking school bus programs into local schools and work with his Green parliamentary colleagues to secure government support for the introduction of walking school bus programs across the state.

Chris moved a Notice of Motion on Walking School Buses at the City of Sydney Council in October 2006:

That this council:
(A) acknowledges the need to promote and encourage “walking school buses” throughout the City and commits to investigating such a scheme;
(B) acknowledges that “walking
school buses” are safe and healthy, allow children and parents to socialise, reduce traffic congestion at the school gate and emit zero greenhouse gases and pollution; and
(C) requests that a report be prepared by Council officers on how Council can support this initiative. Chris Harris, Deputy Lord Mayor, Greens Councillor, City of Sydney Council.

For more information on what other states are doing on walking buses go to: www.ywca-canberra.org.au
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au
www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/rhadmin/articles/files/WalkingSchoolBus.pdf
http://www.hobartcity.com.au/hccwr/lib85/walking%20bus%20guide.pdf