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Find out how we’re improving road safety around schools. Join Active School Travel to make getting to school safer and fun.

2 female Wooloowin State School students walking to school. Standing at a crossing.

Safer School Precincts

Council is taking action to create Safer School Precincts in our suburbs. 

We're delivering a tailored and coordinated program of infrastructure improvements in precincts with multiple schools in our suburbs. Whether you walk, ride, catch public transport or drive, these improvements will make travelling around your suburb easier and safer.

The program primarily focuses on road safety improvements, improving pedestrian connectivity and enhancing opportunities for active travel, making it safer for students to get to and from school and creating a more liveable precinct for everyone to enjoy.

We’re committed to getting you to school or home sooner and safer with more transport choices, so you can spend less time travelling and more time doing what’s important.

The Safer School Precincts program will initially kick off in Kedron and Mansfield, with future precincts planned in Wynnum Manly and Indooroopilly. 

Currently, 70% of students in Brisbane are driven to school. This adds thousands of cars to morning and afternoon peak hours, contributing to traffic congestion issues around our suburbs. 

Safer School Precincts builds on Council’s award-winning programs, such as Safer Paths to School, Safe School Infrastructure and Active School Travel, to create an innovative program that combines community engagement, infrastructure improvements and behaviour change to connect places for people in our suburbs. 

Through this program, Council aims to improve safety and ease congestion around schools by creating precincts where sustainable travel, like walking, riding or catching the bus is safer and more convenient. 

Council will work with schools, residents and businesses to identify transport opportunities that cater to the varying needs of our local communities. We will use the insights of the community to plan and deliver balanced, coordinated infrastructure improvements to enhance travel options for everyone, whether you walk, ride, catch public transport or drive. 

Once the new and improved infrastructure is in place, we will empower children and their families with the knowledge and tools to move safely in their completed Safer School Precinct. 

Our Safer School Precincts will be designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, support sustainable travel, and improve connections with nature and our community while getting you where you want to be sooner and safer. 

Benefits of Safer School Precincts

Improve safety

Deliver more sustainable transport infrastructure

Provide increased transport options

Enhance precinct liveability

Ease congestion around schools

Encourage sustainable travel choices

Precinct Playbook 

We’ve created the Safer School Precinct Playbook to provide more information about what these improvements could look like in your Safer School Precinct. 

Download the Safer School Precinct Playbook to see how these improvements benefit a Safer School Precinct. 

How are Safer School Precincts created? 

Building on the success of previous programs, Council is creating Safer School Precincts by working with the local precinct community to understand your transport needs and delivering purpose-built infrastructure improvements. 

Depending on the needs of your precinct, this could include: 

  • upgrading or installing new footpaths

  • installing pedestrian crossings

  • installing traffic management treatments, i.e. speed platforms or slow points

  • changing traffic flow.  

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Did you know?

Walking, riding or taking public transport to school gives kids the opportunity to learn independence and basic life skills, such as how to cross the road safely.

Where are the Safer School Precincts? 

Council is delivering 4 Safer School Precincts in 2024-28.  

As these precincts become safer and more connected, the benefits will continue to grow for each precinct and the entire city.

Current projects

Kedron Safer School Precinct 

Status: Community Consultation closed

Consultation was completed for the Kedron Safer School Precinct in late 2024. 

We are reviewing this community feedback alongside technical data to help us plan a range of coordinated improvements across the precinct. 

The Kedron Safer School Precinct supports Padua College, St Anthony’s Primary School and Mount Alvernia College and the surrounding local community. 

Register for updates about the Kedron Safer School Precinct. 

Community consultation was open between 12 November and 12 December 2024.

We received valuable feedback from residents, businesses and school community members during the consultation period. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide their feedback.

You can view the Kedron Safer School Precinct map.

The Kedron Safer School Precinct map.

Council will review the feedback from the community consultation and prepare a consultation report that will be available on our website in early 2025.  

We will continue to keep the community informed of the project progress once updates are available.

Mansfield Safer School Precinct 

Status: Community consultation closed

Consultation was completed for the Mansfield Safer School Precinct in April 2025.

We are reviewing this community feedback alongside technical data to help us plan a range of coordinated improvements across the precinct.

The Mansfield Safer School Precinct supports Mansfield State School, Mansfield State High School and Brisbane Adventist College and the surrounding local community.  

The Mansfield Safer School Precinct is proudly supported by the Queensland Government’s Cycle Network Local Government Grants program.  

Register for updates about the Mansfield Safer School Precinct. 

Community consultation was open between 16 March and 20 April 2025.

We received valuable feedback from residents, businesses and school community members during the consultation period. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide their feedback.

You can view the Mansfield Safer School Precinct map.

This image shows a map of the Mansfield Safer School Precinct area.

Council will review the feedback from the community consultation and prepare a consultation report that will be available on our website in late 2025.  

We will continue to keep the community informed of the project progress once updates are available.

Future projects 

Wynnum Manly Safer School Precinct

Status: Community consultation coming soon

Register for updates about the Wynnum Manly Safer School Precinct. 

Image of a child on a bike

Indooroopilly Safer School Precinct

Status: Community consultation coming soon

Register for updates about the Indooroopilly Safer School Precinct. 

Image of a child riding a bike.

More information

For more information about Council’s Safer School Precincts program, you can:

Active School Travel program

The Active School Travel (AST) program encourages students and their families to walk, ride, use public transport or carpool to school.

Who can participate?

Primary schools in Brisbane who want to: 

  • encourage school students to be more active 
  • build greater awareness about school road safety
  • reduce traffic congestion at the school gate.

Participating schools receive resources to make walking and riding to school easier and fun. They include:

  • customised maps highlighting safe routes to school for walking and riding
  • free 60-minute bike and scooter skills training programs
  • survey templates and materials to support weekly Active Travel Days
  • tools to showcase your school's achievements
  • interclass and interschool competitions
  • rewards and incentives to encourage student participation.

They also receive road safety education materials, including:  

  • RACQ Streets Ahead road safety sessions
  • assembly presentations by AST characters (Walker, Ryder and Scoot) 
  • bus orientation sessions for senior students, covering essential skills such as hailing a bus and using a go card
  • curriculum links for teachers.
lightbulb

Did you know?

Walking, riding or taking public transport to school gives kids the opportunity to learn independence and basic life skills, such as how to cross the road safely.

How to apply

Council is now accepting applications to join the AST program in 2026. Principals have until 19 September 2025 to complete the easy online application form.

Apply now

The AST team will be in touch with all applicants shortly after receiving the application.

For more information:

 

Nominate a school

Are you a community member with a school in mind for the program? You can submit AST expressions of interest year-round.

You must provide:

  • your personal details including your name, contact details and relationship with the school

  • school details including the name, email address and principal 

  • reasons why you’re suggesting the school for the program.

Express your interest

Tips for safe school travel

When walking to and from school, you should:

  • wear a hat and sunscreen
  • always look for a crossing to cross the road safely
  • walk with family or friends. It’s more fun!

You shouldn't:

  • listen to music on headphones or you won't be able to hear the traffic
  • look at your mobile phone while you walk.

  • Always wear a helmet and check your brakes before you leave.
  • Keep your speed down and look out for pedestrians.
  • Be extra careful when crossing driveways.
  • Make sure you have a bell on your bike and use it when coming up behind people.
  • Be extra careful in wet weather when the path might be slippery.
  • Ride with friends. It’s more fun!

  • Find your school bus route and check the timetable for services.
  • Make sure you have a go card to use public transport.
  • Wait safely at the bus stop away from the road.
  • Make sure you hail the driver.
  • Let passengers off the bus before you get on.
  • Store your school bag in a safe place that doesn’t block anyone’s way.
  • Always stand for adults if the bus is full.

Creating safer roads around schools

Find other ways Council is improving road safety in and around schools, including installing speed reduction devices and upgrading footpaths.

Speed awareness monitors (SAMs) encourage drivers to slow down. There are more than 250 SAMs in use across more than 800 locations across Brisbane. One hundred of these SAMs are located permanently around schools.  

To suggest a new location for a SAM, contact Council.

This program raises awareness of reduced speed limits in school zones on multi-lane roads.

For more information, phone Council on 07 3403 8888.

This program upgrades and builds infrastructure to improve road safety (e.g. pedestrian crossings and bus zones).

The program is co-funded by Council and the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (TIDS).

To discuss a submission, contact your regional Road Safety Advisor. 

School Traffic Management Plans

A school Traffic Management Plan (TMP) is a tool you can use to identify and address school road safety issues. 

Developing a TMP can help your school achieve:

  • safer roads around schools

  • reduced traffic congestion 

  • smoother pick-up and drop-off periods 

  • safer and more efficient school zones 

  • more opportunities for students to walk and ride to school

  • fewer complaints from the community.
How to prepare a Traffic Management Plan
1 Choose a committee or champion

Appoint a Traffic Management Committee or Champion. This committee could be a mix of parents, staff and students, or an existing committee such as the P&C.

2 Review 'drop and go' zones

Take a look at the location and rules of ‘drop and go’ zones, and how these are communicated to the school community.

3 Review parking areas and rules

Review local parking areas and parking rules, and how these are used by the school community.

4 Identify transport options

Find public transport options for students, walking routes and riding facilities.

5 Create an action plan

Develop an action plan to tackle traffic management and safety issues identified. Your plan could include actions such as introducing a new ‘drop and go’ zone or reinforcing parking rules.

Download a TMP template to get started.

For help preparing a TMP:

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Note

Council cannot enforce the content included in a TMP (Traffic Management Plan). 

Frequently asked questions

Your school principal must apply to join the Active School Travel program. Applications open in Term 3. 

In the meantime, you can submit an expression of interest.

To suggest a new location for a speed awareness monitor, contact Council.

A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) is a tool for schools to assess the way students can travel to school. Preparing a TMP helps identify and resolve road safety issues such as illegal parking, congestion at ‘drop and go’ zones, and unsafe road crossing. 

Find out how to prepare a school Traffic Management Plan.