Students drive action for improvements in safety

NO doubt about it - Waterloo Road is dangerous, and three of our Year 13 students have made it clear to local authority decision makers that they want action.

Year 13 Media Studies students Zoe, Caleb, and Kim, felt so strongly about the issue that they chose it as the focus for their Media Studies assessment in which they are required to make a short documentary. 

Their short documentary has caused quite a stir, galvanising Council staff and decision makers to look more seriously at the issue. Last week Zoe and Caleb joined Principal Robin Sutton, and Hornby Primary School Deputy Principal Kate McLachlan in a meeting with Jimmy Chen (one of our local councillors) and three of the Council's staff team) to consider what actions will be taken. Here are some of our next steps:

· Park Smart will be delivered over 2 weeks in November with some random enforcement following that delivery. (We are already receiving the benefit of random Parking Warden visits).

· Broken yellow lines on the south side of Waterloo Rd by Smarts Rd and the refuge island will be going in by the end of October, in time to be enforced during Park Smart.

· The schools are going to work on some messages that can be made into a handout to parents. This can be distributed along with Park Smart material in November. 

· Council staff will send through any supporting resources that the schools can use to promote road safety. Council has offered to support the schools to produce their own safety video or other materials.

· Council will check the parking restrictions on Hei Hei Road and confirm if that can also be covered in the Park Smart programme in November.

· Moving forward Council staff will send out a draft School Travel Plan with all Council actions. Next steps will be for both schools to engage a working group and start to input actions from their end. Sarah will continue to work with and support this process.

There is much that is beyond our control (such things as sizes of trucks permitted on Waterloo Road, traffic volumes, etc), but there is also much that is within our collective control. As they say, focus on what is within your control in order to make a difference.

Student use of the road (crossing behaviour, for example), and parent parking behaviour, are both within the control of each student and each parent.

While we wait for Council action on bigger picture things, in the meantime we ask parents to do your bit. Perhaps ask your children to walk or cycle to school, rather than picking them up in your car. Maybe park further away rather than expecting to park right outside the gates of either school. Simple things can make a difference. 

Our students certainly demonstrated our school values of Commitment, Achievement, Resilience, and Respect, in creating the video and agitating for change to improve their community. We are very proud of them and their work. #manahoromaka #hornbypride