Active travel to schools will soon be safer and more accessible for everyone with Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner committing more than $6.5 million over four years to build missing footpath links to Brisbane schools.
Cr Schrinner said Brisbane City Council was stepping up its commitment to deliver safer connections for students to walk, cycle and scoot with funding in the Budget for the Safer Paths to School program.
“This program will kick off with $1.6 million allocated over the coming year to deliver around 40 safer pathways and missing links to more than 25 local primary and high schools,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Council’s Active School Travel Program is so popular with people right across the city with more than 113,000 students participating since 2004, boosting active travel to get more cars off the road and people home quicker and safer.
“It’s great to see the younger generation encouraging cars to be left at home so they can travel to school in a more active way and I am committed to making that easier and more accessible.
“We will continue our support for the Active School Travel Program with a $664,000 commitment in 2019-20 to allow more schools to participate.”
Councillor for Coorparoo Fiona Cunningham said she visited Renton Street in Camp Hill recently, which was a popular access point for Whites Hill College students.
“I recently doorknocked residents in the area who raised this missing link to Whites Hill College,” Cr Cunningham said.
“I look forward to this new Council commitment making it easier for the younger residents in my Ward to get outside and get active as part of their regular travel to school,” Cr Cunningham said.
Cr Schrinner said Council’s Safer Paths to School program would mean less cars on the road, relieve parking pressure on local streets and healthier and more active kids.
“Increasing active transport options is just as much about delivering major infrastructure like Green Bridges, as it is about building local improvements like missing footpath links to schools,” he said.
“Other schools set to benefit include Kedron High School, Runcorn State School, Northside Christian College, Wilston State School and Middle Park State School.
Bicycle Queensland CEO Anne Savage applauded Council’s new initiative and said the number of children who are physically active every day had declined over the past 40 years.
“An active journey to school – along a safe pathway – empowers children to learn about their local area, develop their social networks, and become more independent,” Ms Savage said.
“If we can increase the number of students who ride, scoot, and walk to school, we’ll take traffic off local roads and reduce the suburban car-park chaos of school start and finish times.”
Identified locations of Safer Paths to Schools locations:
Whites Hill College, Camp Hill
St Joseph’s Primary School, Bracken Ridge
Aspley East Primary
Runcorn State School
Kuraby State School
Runcorn High School
Runcorn Heights State School
Kedron High School
Payne Road State School
Good News Lutheran School, Middle Park
Jamboree Heights State School
Middle Park State School
Jindalee State School
Centenary State High School
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Darra
Aspley State School
Everton Park State School
McDowall State School
Northside Christian College, Everton Park
Prince of Peace Lutheran College, Everton Park
Queen of Apostles, Stafford Heights
Stafford Heights State School
Oakleigh State School
Wilston State School
Grovely State School
Robertson State School
Wishart State School
St Catherine’s, Wishart