25 signatures reached
To: Minister of Climate Change Hon James Shaw & Minister of Transport Hon Michael Wood
Call for safe and healthy journeys to schools
We call for the government to commit to safe walking, biking, scooting and free buses for all students in Aotearoa.
The government is preparing its response to climate change, and we want our tamariki to be at the heart of it. We want to say goodbye to school traffic, make it safe to travel to school, and remove the cost of transport as a barrier to education. We approve of the general direction of the government's Emissions Reduction Plan but believe it needs to be more ambitious with clear targets and commitments.
That’s why we’re calling for the below actions to be part of the Emissions Reduction Plan and funded in Budget 2022:
🚃Free public transport for all school students from 2023 onwards.
🚌Access to dedicated school buses for all schools that need them.
🛴Commitment to providing safe walking, cycling and scooting routes to and from school by 2025.
🚲Funding for school travel coordinators (to organise initiatives like walking school buses and bike trains).
Sign our petition to urge the Government to take urgent action for the climate and people!
The government is preparing its response to climate change, and we want our tamariki to be at the heart of it. We want to say goodbye to school traffic, make it safe to travel to school, and remove the cost of transport as a barrier to education. We approve of the general direction of the government's Emissions Reduction Plan but believe it needs to be more ambitious with clear targets and commitments.
That’s why we’re calling for the below actions to be part of the Emissions Reduction Plan and funded in Budget 2022:
🚃Free public transport for all school students from 2023 onwards.
🚌Access to dedicated school buses for all schools that need them.
🛴Commitment to providing safe walking, cycling and scooting routes to and from school by 2025.
🚲Funding for school travel coordinators (to organise initiatives like walking school buses and bike trains).
Sign our petition to urge the Government to take urgent action for the climate and people!
Why is this important?
🤸🏽♂️ Walking, biking and scooting are fun!
🌱 Being active helps to improve the retention of learning and our physical and mental well being.
🏃🏽♂️Our tamariki enjoy being able to get to and from school independently, while also reducing the workload for carers.
🌎 Active transport provides an incredible opportunity to tackle climate change.
However, for many whānau, safety is a big barrier to walking, biking and scooting to and from school and access is a barrier to taking buses.
When students in Waipa were surveyed, 87 percent said that they would like to walk or bike to school if their parents would let them.
That’s why we’re asking the Government to commit to investing in safe infrastructure to school for all students by 2025. This includes installations like pedestrian crossings and protected bike and scooter lanes.
We’re also asking the government to make public transport free for all school-aged children. Not only would this encourage more students to travel by bus, but it would reduce financial stress and barriers to education for many of our whānau.
Funding dedicated school buses would provide better options for students where public transport routes don’t suit.
When the Bay of Plenty Regional Council made bus travel free for all students travelling to and from school, 30 percent more students started taking the bus over just one year. That’s an awesome result!
This is our chance to build a school transport system that works. That’s why we’re asking the government to prioritise school travel in its emissions reduction plan.
Add your name to urge the Government to take urgent action for the climate, people and a better transport future!
Please leave a personal comment to share why free fares and safe routes to school are important for you, your friends and whānau.
Photo credit: @Bicycling. https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20046469/-49/
🌱 Being active helps to improve the retention of learning and our physical and mental well being.
🏃🏽♂️Our tamariki enjoy being able to get to and from school independently, while also reducing the workload for carers.
🌎 Active transport provides an incredible opportunity to tackle climate change.
However, for many whānau, safety is a big barrier to walking, biking and scooting to and from school and access is a barrier to taking buses.
When students in Waipa were surveyed, 87 percent said that they would like to walk or bike to school if their parents would let them.
That’s why we’re asking the Government to commit to investing in safe infrastructure to school for all students by 2025. This includes installations like pedestrian crossings and protected bike and scooter lanes.
We’re also asking the government to make public transport free for all school-aged children. Not only would this encourage more students to travel by bus, but it would reduce financial stress and barriers to education for many of our whānau.
Funding dedicated school buses would provide better options for students where public transport routes don’t suit.
When the Bay of Plenty Regional Council made bus travel free for all students travelling to and from school, 30 percent more students started taking the bus over just one year. That’s an awesome result!
This is our chance to build a school transport system that works. That’s why we’re asking the government to prioritise school travel in its emissions reduction plan.
Add your name to urge the Government to take urgent action for the climate, people and a better transport future!
Please leave a personal comment to share why free fares and safe routes to school are important for you, your friends and whānau.
Photo credit: @Bicycling. https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20046469/-49/
How it will be delivered
We will deliver this petition to Minister Shaw & Minister Wood prior to Budget 2022.