The Westburn School Travel Plan project began in 2005, in response to parent’s concerns about safety issues and congestion at the school gate. The project was the first school travel plan sponsored by Christchurch City Council in Canterbury. The process looked at how to improve road safety for the children on the way to school, how to reduce traffic at the main school gate and how to support parents to get their children to and from school other than by car (e.g. by supporting special walking initiatives).

The Working Group identified the following objectives for the Westburn School Travel Plan:

• Improve safety for the children on the roads by the school
• Reduce congestion and chaos at and near the school gate
• Encourage physical fitness and healthy living of Westburn School children
• Promote modes of transport that are energy efficient, environmentally friendly and socially beneficial.

The Westburn School Travel Plan sets out actions to help meet these four objectives. Copies of the Westburn School Travel Plan are available from the school office.




        Education Minister Steve Maharey launched 
        Westburn Walks On Wednesdays (WWOW) by
        joining a group of pupils and parents as they 
        walked to school.

What can you do?

Parking within the school grounds is limited to staff, service vehicles and disabled students.

The driveway is shared by vehicles, scooters, cycles and pedestrians. It is a busy and potentially dangerous place and access has been limited for the safety of our children.

Please do not use the visitor parks as a drop-off or pick-up area for your child.

 Pedestrian crossing

• Do use the pedestrian crossing when crossing Waimairi Road
• Do set a good example by using the pedestrian crossing, even when your children are not with you
• Do obey the School Patrol when they are on duty. This includes the children on duty at the corner of Wentworth Street and Waimairi Road
• Remember that the teacher supervising the School Patrol is on duty and not available for a discussion about your child
• Vehicles must stop when the School Patrol extends the STOP sign, regardless of which side of the road it is on
• When the School Patrol is not in operation remember that drivers must give way to pedestrians on both sides of a pedestrian crossing

Please avoid crossing Waimairi Road from the Greers Road corner and to/from the ‘triangle’ area towards Grahams Road. These are two very dangerous spots.

P3 Parking Zone

The marked car parks along the front entrance of the school on Waimairi Road operate as P3 parks during the period 8.15am-9.00am and 2.45pm-3.30pm. You may park here for 3 minutes only during these times. The Christchurch City Council sends parking enforcement officers on a regular basis and they will issue tickets for any vehicles overstaying the limit. Sitting in your vehicle does not stop you from getting a ticket!

The parking in this area has been limited so that all families who need to drop their children off at the front gate can do so. Please be considerate and use this area as a drop-off and pick-up zone only.

Do remember the bus stop at the end of the P3 zone is for buses only, not cars. If you stop here you risk a hefty fine.

40km/hr Zone

In term four 2005, Christchurch City Council installed a 40km/hr school zone outside the school. This was done to reduce the speed of vehicles around the school area and allow the School Patrol to operate the pedestrian crossing in a safer way.

This zone operates between 8.25am-8.55am and 2.55pm-3.20pm on school days and is indicated by flashing signs on Waimairi Road.

If you are picking your child up from school please ask them to wait inside the fence. This stops the footpath being blocked and lets other families and children move away from the school quickly and easily.

This initiative began in Term 1, 2006 and was implemented to encourage the children to walk/scoot/cycle at least part way to school. This helps with two of the travel plan objectives, to reduce congestion and chaos at the school gate and to encourage physical fitness of Westburn School children.

To qualify, the children must walk, scoot or bike along Waimairi Rd, between Wentworth St and school, Raxworthy St and school or Greers Road and school. 

For those parents who must drive their children to school we would encourage you to park off Waimairi Road and walk your children the short distance to school so that they can take part.

 The class with the highest participation receives a trophy for the week. There are two trophies, one for Years 1-4 and one for Years 5-8. The PTA provides a prize each Term for the class in each syndicate with the highest level of participation.

  
School Community

There are times where we find it difficult to juggle travel to school with sleeping toddlers, kindy pick-ups, wet weather etc. Here are a few ideas that may inspire you to make an effort and leave your vehicle away from the school gate.

• Get to know other parents in your class or area where you live. You could share the school pick-up/drop-offs. If you would like help to organise a “Walking Bus” or find out more about it then please leave your name at the school office
• If you have a preschooler asleep in the car then ask another parent you know who is walking passed, to collect your child and walk them to your car
• We all know how difficult it can be to load/unload babies and preschoolers in and out of cars, especially in wet weather. Offer to help other parents that you know, by walking their child from their car to the classroom or collecting their child from the classroom and walking them back to their car.

If you have any questions or comments about the Westburn School Travel Plan or other traffic issues then please contact Rosemary Walton, Westburn School Travel Plan Coordinator, via the school office.

3 May 2007