Road rules ease congestion

Queen's High School pupil Kama Warburton (13) keeps left as she makes her way to class. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.

Although you do not have to provide your licence and registration on request, you are expected to know the road rules when navigating the corridors of Queen's High School these days.

Bumps and scrapes are common on school grounds, but Queen's High School has mitigated the potential for collisions in the maze of corridors, by recently establishing a set of road rules.

Instead of the usual educational posters lining the hallways, the school's floors and walls are adorned with centre lines, roundabouts, and "give way", "no stopping" and "keep left" signs.

Queen's High School assistant principal Helen Angus said the initiative was the brainchild of a year 9 class at the school, and was set up as part of the school's positive behaviour for learning programme.

With about 500 pupils and teachers all using the hallways at once, getting to and from classes could be a chaotic squeeze, she said.

It was hoped the layout would make it easier for large groups.

"We've worked to make the corridors a place to keep moving in an orderly fashion. There's no policing or ticketing for speeding or parking [standing in the corridors] too long.

"But teachers have been known to move girls on. The corridors are not places for discussions.

"This is a one-level school - all in one, with a maze of corridors.

"It makes it a safer place and easier to get from A to B. Everyone's a lot calmer now," she said.

And there are other flow-on benefits.

By the time Queen's High School pupils reach 16, they should be well and truly prepared for the more official road code and driving tests.