May Road School in Mt Roskill is celebrating joining the Bikes in Schools project, opening its 350m bike track and welcoming 45 new bikes for children to improve their cycling skills. The school is the 30th in Auckland to join Bikes in Schools.
Acting Principal Beth Noakes says the project will give children an opportunity to improve their cycling skills and support a community that has a lot of access to cycling infrastructure.
“Our students will really gain confidence and get great support to learn to ride, as well as the many benefits that come with bike riding. We’re looking forward to encouraging healthy and safe bike riding and seeing the whole school community benefit from the track and new bikes.
Associate Minister of Transport Julie-Anne Genter, who cut the ribbon on the new track today with teacher Mary Maxwell, says “I’m a big fan of the Bikes in Schools programme. We want to give more Kiwi kids the freedom and confidence to get around by bike and get more exercise into their everyday routine”.
Supporting children learning to ride with shared paths
May Road School is close to the Waterview and South Western Shared Paths and the Mt Roskill Safe Routes.
Auckland Transport Manager of Walking, Cycling and Road Safety Kathryn King says having schools close to cycling infrastructure that support children learning to ride is crucial.
“It’s great to see children at May Road School getting the chance to gain confidence on bikes and there is lots of infrastructure nearby that can encourage them to ride to schools.
“We invest in the Bikes in Schools project for the obvious outcomes like children getting day to day fun out of riding. But we also have a plan for transport choices for all Aucklanders, and May Road School, being close to great shared paths, can really support their community to get on their bikes.”
Bikes in Schools projects across New Zealand have so far helped over 30,000 school children across more than 100 schools get to ride a bike on a regular and equal basis at school.
