By Gurbir Singh:
‘Kids on Bikes’ courses start next week across a number of Hamilton primary schools. The focus of these programmes is to build biking confidence and improve road safety skills for primary-aged children.
Run by Hamilton City Council’s School Travel Coordinators, and supported by Sport Waikato and Cycling NZ, this is the second year of the programme.
Eight schools – Hillcrest Normal, St Josephs, Te Ao Marama, Hukanui, Silverdale Normal, South City Christian, Nawton and Melville – and Enderley Community Centre have already signed up for the programme which will see students taught biking and safety skills to get them ready to later progress to biking on roads.
The training will be a mix of classroom-based learning, and practical biking.
School Travel Coordinator Sean Christian says the courses are a great way for kids to prepare for safely riding to and from school.
“It’s all about giving the kids the skills and the confidence they need to safely bike. If we can get them with the right skills at this age then they’re set up for a lifetime of fun, safe and enjoyable biking.”
According to the HCC announcement, it is planned to extend this programme into intermediate and secondary schools in future years.
– from NewsViews