Council is working with local schools to make it easier and safer to get to school using active transport like walking, cycling and scooting.
We're planning improvements around all schools in the Wollongong area to make safer routes for children, parents and carers travelling to school. This can include replacing or upgrading existing infrastructure that we already have, or identifying where we might need new infrastructure to support active travel.
Some of the facilities and infrastructure we might look at include signs, line marking, paths, crossings, pedestrian islands, and links between schools and public transport. This will be different for each school's unique situation.
We know these types of features can influence parents' travel choices for themselves and their children. By creating safer environments for walking and riding to school can make it easier to choose these travel options.
Benefits of safe active travel to school
Active transport is great for students, their families and the environment. We're focusing on improving safe active travel to and from school because:
- It's great exercise and builds healthy habits. Students who walk or ride to school, even for part of the journey, arrive energised and ready to learn.
- It creates community connections. Active transport connects students to their neighbourhood and community.
- It helps the environment. Using active transport reduces the number of cars on our roads, and transport-related emissions.
- It can reduce congestion on streets. Less cars means less traffic congestion and parking issues around schools.
How we're planning
Our Transport team is working with each of the more than 80 local schools in our area. Together, we're preparing a report and action plan for each school's situation.
The process includes identifying the school's and Council's priorities, and making recommendations for improvements in the short, medium and long term. Having these action plans will also help us work with other stakeholders (like Transport for NSW) and / or apply for grant funding as opportunities become available.
It's important to note that schools and their P&C bodies will still be able to make requests to Council outside this process, both before and after their reports are done.
The recommendations for infrastructure will also be considered to be included in our Infrastructure Delivery Program (IDP). This is another way we can identify and prioritise projects that encourage active transport like creating connected pedestrian and cycling networks around schools.
Schools are encouraged to review their recommendations at least once a year to stay up to date with their needs as their community grows and changes.
School plans
We are working with several schools at a time to prepare their plans.
This process is undertaken in the following stages:
- Initial conversations with Principal and P&C representatives
- Council performs an audit of the signs, lines and infrastructure in the school area
- A draft school plan is prepared to be reviewed by the school community
- The draft school plan is finalised with any final comments and/or changes
- Council and Principal sign off on the draft and complete school plan.
Schools that have a completed or draft plan are listed below.
If you don't see your school yet, please check back later. It may take some time for all schools to be added to this site.
Completed school plans
Draft school plans
Please reach out to your school for updates and if you have any comments to share.
- Dapto Public School
- Figtree Heights Public School
- Mount Kembla Public School
- Mount St Thomas Public School
- Woonona High School.
How do I make suggestions for my school?
If you'd like to give feedback or make suggestions about improvements around your school that would support active transport, get in touch with your school. They'll gather information from across their communities and share this feedback with Council's Transport team to consider informed decisions / changes to recommendations.
Resources
You can visit the following websites for more information that relates to this project.
- Transport for NSW: Guidelines for determining the safety of a walking route to school
- NSW Health: Children's active travel
- Healthy Cities Illawarra: Safe and Active Routes to School
For more information on how to stay safe around school zones, please visit our Road Safety page.