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Small Steps Could Be a Giant Leap for Fitness
The City of Melville is working with Applecross Primary School to promote walking to school and challenge perceived mental barriers about distances that can be covered by active transport modes.
Time Signs to School is a walking-to-school project promoting awareness about the time it takes to be active and walk to school from various locations in the surrounding suburbs. Ten signs have been erected and the City addressed a school assembly on Thursday, 4 December, aiming to get the active transport message across.
Mayor Russell Aubrey said the initiative sought to show the distance that could be covered in five or 10 minutes and how easy it was to walk instead of drive. “By showing the time it takes to get somewhere it removes the mental barrier people might have regarding distances that can be walked or cycled,” he said. “We are hoping for the cooperation of local residents, in not removing the signs if they happen to be on the council lawn outside their house.”
Applecross Primary School Principal Barry France said this move tied in with the sustainable environment studies the students were doing. “This project has the benefit of encouraging a more environmentally-friendly mode of transport than driving, as well as improving the kids’ fitness levels, breaking down congestion and improving road safety conditions for users,” he said. “The more people who walk or ride to school, the safer the area is for them, so the project’s really about community building – and it ties in with our school safety program.”
For more information, schools can contact TravelSmart Officer Ruth Behn on 9364 0680.