School develops travel plan

Pictured at a drop-in session last week to gain further feedback on a proposed school travel plan for Hawea Flat School are (from left) community road safety adviser Jo Robinson, Queenstown Lakes District Council transportation planning manager Denis Mander, enviroschools co-ordinator Simon Williams, school principal Sue Heath and travel demand project manager Rae-Anne Kurucz.

The council's school travel plan project aims to create safe, healthy and more sustainable ways for pupils to travel to and from school.

Data concerning travel methods and issues was collected from parents of Hawea Flat School earlier in the year via a survey.

The council devised a draft action plan based on that data, which was then made available for further comment at a drop-in session at the school last week.

About 20 parents took the opportunity to view the proposed travel plan and pass on their feedback to QLDC transportation planning manager Denis Mander and travel demand project manager Rae-Anne Kurucz, community road safety adviser Jo Robinson, enviroschools co-ordinator Simon Williams and school principal Sue Heath.

Ms Kurucz said the main issues parents had raised at the drop-in session were lingering safety concerns over using the school buses despite them operating within the legal limits, car park congestion at the school, the need for walking and cycling buses and the need for more parent-led basic cycle skills instruction.

One of the biggest issues discussed was the need to establish off-road cycleway links enabling children living in Lake Hawea or Camphill Estate to travel safely to school.

Mr Mander said the need for a travel plan for the school became particularly apparent about a year ago, when safety concerns over speed limits around Hawea Flat's educational triangle were ‘‘coming to a head''.

Reductions in the 100kmh speed zone along Kane Rd and the 70kmh speed zone along St Ninian's Way and Camphill Rd were being urgently called for, Mr Mander said.

During the past year, various work had been carried out to improve safety in the area, including speed reductions, intersection improvements and threshold treatments - where changes were made to the environment to highlight to drivers they were entering a new speed zone.

The school's travel plan will further improve the situation, improving health and wellbeing, improving road and personal safety skills and reducing pollution.

The next step for Hawea Flat School is to form a working party of parents, children and council representatives to finalise the action plan.