Easy ways to actively travel to school

With many ways to actively travel to and from school, finding something to suit all families is easy.

Parents and carers play a critical role in influencing the development of a child’s positive road behaviour. Active travel lessons learned at an early age and reinforced throughout a child's schooling will have a major effect on their attitudes and behaviours for the rest of their lives.

Regardless of whether your school is part of the Active School Travel program, the following active travel tips are relevant to all families.

Walk

Leave the car at home and walk to school. If you live too far away, drive part of the way and walk the rest. We call that ‘Park & Stride’. Read more tips on walking to school.

Cycle

Riding a bike with your children helps them get to school quickly, be active and develop a lifelong skill of riding. Read more tips on riding to school.
 

Scoot

It’s fun and fast to scooter to school. Just like when riding a bike, stick to the footpath and wear a helmet. Read more tips on scooting to school.

Car pool

Try car pooling with another family to help reduce the number of cars at the school gate. Read more tips on car pooling.

Public transport

Travelling on public transport can give older children a sense of independence and free parents from daily school trips. Read more tips on taking public transport to school.

Top tips for staying safe

Check out this video starring Active School Travel characters as they show kids how to be safe when actively travelling to school.

You can also view this video on Council's YouTube account.

Read the Be Safe – top tips for staying safe when actively travelling to school video transcript

Oh, hi guys I'm Walker, I'm Ryder, I'm Scoot and along with Kasha and P.T. we are the Active School Travel crew. And we're here today to talk to you about active school travel - let's go.

Active school travel is when you walk, ride, scoot or take public transport like a bus or train to school. This also includes carpooling, which is sharing your car ride with two or three of your friends which means there's less cars on the road. Oh, and less cars on the road is a good thing, right? It's such a good thing! Less cars means it's safer on the roads around your school. It's also so much better for the environment because less cars means less pollution, so the air is clearer, and the streets are greener.

I love breathing in the fresh air when I ride my bike and when I ride, I'm also getting exercise which means that I arrive at school happy and full of energy to start the day. That's how I feel about riding my scooter. I love fresh air, exercise and riding with my friends. Yeah, and I love walking with my friends because we get to talk along the way. Yeah, so now that we know what active school travel is, and why it's so important, we should talk about how you can stay safe while traveling to and from school. Good idea. And staying safe means not getting hurt or hurting others by being careful and paying attention. So, we're going to share some of our top tips with you so listen up.

When you want to cross the road always do so at a safe place like a pedestrian crossing or traffic lights. Before you step out, stop, look both ways for cars, listen, is there any other traffic on the road and then think, is it safe, and then and only then, is it safe to cross the road.

If you're jumping on a bike or scooter which is wheely wheely fun -get it?! -make sure you always wear a helmet that fits you properly. This will help protect your head from getting hurt so pop it on your head and buckle it up. There should be only two fingers gap between your chin and the strap. If the strap's too big or small, then get somebody to help you adjust it.

When driving in the car or carpooling with friends make sure that you always wear your seat belt. Slip. Click. Clap. Never distract the driver because they have to focus on the road. And always make sure to use the car door which is on the same side as the footpath. That means you never have to be on the road when you're getting in or out of the car.

Well, now that we understand what active school travel is, why it's so important, and how to do it safely, I reckon it's time to head home. I think you're right, Ryder. I'm gonna walk. I'm gonna skate. I'm gonna ride… oh wait for me guys.

Why not check out some more fun videos from the Active School Travel characters as they help you learn to:

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