School runs increasing peak hour traffic by 23 per cent, says Mosman councillor
NORTH SHORE parents who chauffeur their children to and from school are clogging roads and contributing to obesity, says one outspoken critic.
North Shore
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CHILDREN and traffic could both be lighter if parents stopped driving their kids to school, a councillor says.
Cr Tom Sherlock has taken a swipe at parents who chauffeur their children to and from school, saying it created unnecessary traffic and was responsible for up to a quarter of cars clogging up local roads during peak hours.
After a push from Cr Sherlock, Mosman Council will draft a report for encouraging children travelling to and from school “actively” by walking, biking or scootering.
Cr Sherlock said apart from improving traffic, it was also about keeping children healthy at a time when obesity remained a big challenge facing Australia.
“This is something we really need to make happen,” he said.
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“It would also reduce some of the unnecessary traffic on our roads. “We are not just talking about Mosman here, the whole north shore should be looking at it.”
As much as 23 per cent of peak-hour traffic was school-related, he said.
Cr Sherlock presented his idea at a council meeting, calling on fellow councillors to support it.
“It is a fantastic way we can improve life in Mosman,” he said.
Some councillors questioned whether it was the council’s responsibility or if it was better left to the State Government and the individual schools.
But Cr Sherlock said he thought the council played an important role in facilitating the process, such as by making schools aware of what others were doing.
This was an opportunity for the council to work from the bottom up, he said. He conceded that possible safety issues and the organisational aspects of walking or biking would have to be considered.
“I am not blind to the fact that it has a few challenges,” Cr Sherlock told the Daily.
Mosman Public School principal Steve Connelly said the school fully supported kids walking to school.
“I think it is a great motion to put forward,” he said.
However, he had concerns about children biking or scootering for safety reasons, he said.
“For children (of our pupils’ age) their spatial awareness is not well developed,” he said.
Mosman parent Paul Evans thought walking was a good idea. He would park the car halfway between the school and home, then walk with the children as they lived too far away, he said. “It gets them out and wakes them up.”
But another parent, Belinda Calvert, said while the idea was great it was difficult for people living such busy lifestyles.
“I have three daughters and just getting out of the house on time is an achievement,” she said.
NSW’s Assistant Minister for Health Jai Rowell last year launched NSW Active Travel Charter For Children, providing a statement on active travel for children which will support government and non-government agencies to encourage greater participation in active travel.
A report will be presented at the council meeting on February 17.
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