Over three Fridays in September Bicycle Network held its first Open Streets trials of the year at Moreland Primary School, as part of Moreland City Council’s Ride and Stride Project.
Open Streets is an initiative to reduce traffic congestion around school gates, improve air quality, encourage active travel to school, and embed active travel in the culture of school communities.
In surveys conducted by Moreland City Council, parents and carers at Moreland Primary rated less car traffic around the school gates as one of the top three things that would make it easier for children to walk or ride to school more often.
Indeed, at most metropolitan schools the vast majority of students live within walkable or rideable distance to school, but the built environment acts as a barrier to active travel when it is dominated by rush hour car traffic.
Open Streets reclaims neighbourhood streets as part of the school community and repurposes them to facilitate healthy and environmentally friendly forms of travel. This is a timely intervention following the results of the Climate Council’s recent survey showing demand for sustainable transport in Australia.
At Moreland Primary School we have seen increases in active travel on the days of the trials, with an ATR averaging 66% across the three trials, up from a base rate of 56%. The peak of 71% came on the second day when the school also hosted a Fathers Day morning BBQ on this day. We saw the community turn out to enjoy a coffee and snag with friends and neighbours while the children had fun riding, skipping, and drawing with chalk.
The increase in active travel is an amazing result, particularly considering some less than ideal weather of the trial days. It shows the potential of this kind of intervention to spark meaningful change in our habits and our relationships to our neighbourhoods.
Thank you again to the whole MPS community for your enthusiasm, we look forward to seeing how this idea evolves at your school in the future.
Bicycle Network is continuing its partnership with Moreland City Council into term 4 this year, and will be conducting Open Streets trials at Brunswick North West Primary School in October, and St Oliver Plunkett Primary School during November.
We are super excited at the opportunity to connect with the communities at these schools and look forward to meeting the students, parents, teachers, and residents. More to come.
Become our friend
Find out more about Bicycle Network and support us in making it easier for people to ride bikes.