7 November 2012

Ride to school day adds new complications

| johnboy
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ACT Policing is urging motorists to be mindful of the large number of kids that will be riding their bikes to school on Friday as part of the Avanti RideSafe to School Day.

Thousands of kids throughout the ACT will participate in the program that encourages children to ride their bikes to school.

Officer-in-Charge of Traffic Operations Sergeant Rod Anderson said that it was a timely reminder for motorists to exercise caution around schools zones.

“There will be more children riding to and from school on Friday so it’s important that drivers slow down, take care and remain vigilant around school zones to ensure the safety of our children,” Sergeant Anderson said.

“The 40km/h speed limit is important in school zones because it gives motorists extra time to stop in an unexpected situation.”

“Children are our most vulnerable road users because their unpredictability exposes them to the highest risk when around traffic. With that in mind drivers should be extra cautious around school zones.”

Sergeant Anderson also urged parents to ensure their children are aware of the road rules and the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet.

Police will be enforcing the speed limit in school zones between 8am and 4pm on weekdays to ensure the safety of schoolchildren.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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460cixy said :

How many kids these days actually ride to school on a daily basis?

According to the 2012 ABS Census At School, 7% of Canberra students travel to school by bicycle, 15% on foot, 22% by bus and 52% by car.

How many kids these days actually ride to school on a daily basis? When I was at school (a while a go now) lots used to ride. Now I never see kids on bikes

dtc said :

Mike Bessenger said :

I’m sure people will say ‘i used to ride from kindy’, but for reasons mentioned in this thread already, what you used to be able to do 20 or even 10 years ago, you dont want to let your kids do now.

I can’t give you a source but I read somewhere that child abductions have decreased in the last 20 years. Although in saying that, it is probable that driving skills have also decreased……

milkman said :

What the hell can’t we have the speed cameras here in school zones, where they actually provide some benefit?

Like I said on a Holt-speed-pillows thread, this is the government’s galling admission that cameras are for revenue, not for actual safety.
Where there’s scope to catch lots of harmless speeders, there they are; if there really is a safety issue, other measures apply.

Mike Bessenger said :

It seems people need a little more encouragement to get out and about, and promoting this as a one day a year event is stupid.

Perhaps the aim is to get people to ride who will then think ‘oh, its not that hard, we should do it more often’.

Lots of kids do ride, but in primary they tend to need parental supervision (meaning the parents need to be in a position where they can ride and then get to work or whatever) and in high school lots of kids go to school quite a distance from where they live. There is a ‘sweet’ spot around 5th or 6th grade.

I’m sure people will say ‘i used to ride from kindy’, but for reasons mentioned in this thread already, what you used to be able to do 20 or even 10 years ago, you dont want to let your kids do now.

s-s-a said :

I wish they would do this more… That and illegal parking around schools. Crossing roads with kids – walking or riding – on the way to school is really that much easier if cars stick to the 40kph.

IME parents in cars are some of the worst culprits… of course their little darlings deposited at the kiss and drop or ushered into illegally parked cars and aren’t the ones that are going to get run over.

When the police *do* attend schools to “enforce” the road rules, they never seem to write any tickets against the offenders – they just seem to wave them off and the offenders casually resume their illegal activity as soon as the cops aren’t there.

For example, parents stop immediately adjacent to a pedestrian crossing to drop off their primary school children at Telopea Park. This should be stopped as it is very unsafe and spectacularly inconsiderate.
Even worse, the one-way street outside St Claire’s is constantly ignored by idiots who drive down it the wrong way. No more warnings, just book them.

Jim Jones said :

O U T

O F

M Y

W A Y

I ‘ M

A

M O T O R I S T ! ! !

I am sure there is a mammary in there somewhere…….

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd6:25 pm 07 Nov 12

milkman said :

What the hell can’t we have the speed cameras here in school zones, where they actually provide some benefit?

Strongly agree

Jim Jones said :

O U T

O F

M Y

W A Y

I ‘ M

A

M O T O R I S T ! ! !

WE NEED MOAR SPEED CAMERAS11!!!!

What the hell can’t we have the speed cameras here in school zones, where they actually provide some benefit?

Mike Bessenger5:11 pm 07 Nov 12

poetix said :

It’s sad, in a way, that there needs to be a special day for this.

Couldn’t agree more.
Everyday school day should be a ride to school day.
Every work day should also be ride to work day.

It seems people need a little more encouragement to get out and about, and promoting this as a one day a year event is stupid.
Almost as stupid as those who are anti cyclist.

O U T O F M Y W A Y I ‘ M A M O T O R I S T ! ! !

It’s sad, in a way, that there needs to be a special day for this.

For most school children the 40 km/h school zone is only the last hundred metres of their trip to school. Will the police also enforce the speed limits in the streets that lead from homes to school zones?

60% of drivers don’t know when to give way to pedestrians, and I suspect that a similar percentage doesn’t know when to give way to kids on bikes. How safe is it to teach children the road rules, when so many drivers don’t know the rules?

I wish they would do this more… That and illegal parking around schools. Crossing roads with kids – walking or riding – on the way to school is really that much easier if cars stick to the 40kph.

IME parents in cars are some of the worst culprits… of course their little darlings deposited at the kiss and drop or ushered into illegally parked cars and aren’t the ones that are going to get run over.

“Sergeant Anderson also urged parents to ensure their children are aware of the road rules “

Giving way when entering a road from a road related area or adjacent land
(c) any vehicle or pedestrian on any road related area that the driver crosses to enter the road; and

So car in driveway must give way to kid riding bicycle(=vehicle) on footpath(=road related area).
How does children knowing that help?

“Police will be enforcing the speed limit in school zones between 8am and 4pm on weekdays to ensure the safety of schoolchildren.”

Their choice of tense makes it sound like they have never bothered with this before.

I wish they would do this more… That and illegal parking around schools. Crossing roads with kids – walking or riding – on the way to school is really that much easier if cars stick to the 40kph. I am way less bothered about cars going 100 in an 80 zone .

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