Page 2100 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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how a little effort can have a big impact. Each year on Walk Safely to School Day parents and carers are asked to make a special effort to walk or use a combination of walking and public transport to do the school drop-off.
The benefits of finding the time in our busy lives to help our kids learn to walk to school safely are significant. Walking has important health benefits, like all kinds of exercises that Dr Bourke talked about in his adjournment speech earlier. In a country with growing rates of obesity, helping kids build regular walking habits at an early age is an easy way for them to complete their 60 minutes of physical activity and set up patterns of activity that will last them for life.
Walking to school from a young age also helps children learn important road safety skills as they will need to become good pedestrian road users. There has recently been much discussion in this place about the challenges of balancing the safety of all road users. Walking to school is a great way for parents to model safety around roads and on multi-use paths. Walking to school also has the potential to improve road safety around schools by reducing the amount of traffic in the morning drop-off.
As a working parent, I know how hard it can be to find the time to walk to school with the kids, and it seems too often when we leave the house it is only to head straight for the car. It is undeniably more convenient to drive in the morning, but finding the time to take an alternative—to walk, ride or to combine a walk with public transport—helps our kids set up good habits for life. It teaches them that convenience is not the only factor when choosing a way to get around.
I have to admit that in my house we have weeks where the convenience of the car outweighs the long-term benefits of walking. Looking at the number of cars outside our school, I know I am not the only one. When this happens, I think about the immediate benefits walking offers. Walk to School Day offers a great reminder for my family of how enjoyable it is to start the day with a leisurely walk through our neighbourhood and a chat with other kids and parents on our way to school. I encourage everyone to make a little effort to support this great initiative.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
The Assembly adjourned at 6.47 pm.
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