Active day gets a tick

Hayden Linn, 10, wants to ride his scooter to school more often because he likes being “more active”.

Last Friday, Geraldton Primary School held Ride to School Day, an event designed to decrease car travel and increase heart rates.

Deputy principal Fiona Angelatos has run a few Ride to School Days but she said last week’s event was important.

Forty-eight per cent of students chose active travel, compared to 21 percent prior to the project's commencement.

“That’s a whopping 166 students who chose active travel on Friday and has completely exceeded our expectations,” Mrs Angelatos said.

“That accounts for at least 80 less cars coming to school, alleviating traffic congestion and doing wonders for student health and the environment.

“It means we have ‘unlocked’ extra incentives and grants from Department of Transport’s Your Move project.”

Mrs Angelatos said many students lived too far from the campus to use active transport so they tried to encourage them to park down at the foreshore and ride, scoot or walk from there.

“The big winners were the kids emotional, physical and mental health and the environment,” she said.

A few school families recently started to park and ride, with one mum telling the deputy principal it helped her kids “get their sillies out” before class.

While the day was a one-off, Mrs Angelatos hoped it would help the community realise how great active transport was.

Local traffic warden Jo Boyde had no idea it was Ride To School Day on Friday, but she said she had seen a lot more mums than usual walking around the area that day.

She said things had changed since her day, and she’d love to see more kids crossing the road by wheel or on foot.

“Kids used to ride horses to school,” she said.