Local school's bike track ramps up community resilience

Yesterday, Evans Bay School opened a school and community funded pump track that will be available to 435 Evans Bay School students, and to the wider community outside of school hours.

This new track complements the school's existing bike fleet and perimeter track that is a part of their Bikes in Schools facility, which was supported by Greater Wellington Regional Council and Wellington City Council.

Since the first Wellington Region project in 2012, Evans Bay School is one of 31 Bikes in Schools projects that has been encouraged by Greater Wellington.

Greater Wellington Bikes in Schools Facilitator and Pedal Ready Cycle Skills Instructor, Sean Linton says, "These tracks are an excellent opportunity to get kids active and to learn some new skills in a safe environment."

"Bikes in Schools means children, who might have only had access to a bike later in life, build resilience and increase their confidence with outdoor fitness - early on in life."

Each Bikes in Schools project feeds into a larger partnership with schools, communities and local and central government to get kids and whānau active and to develop hands-on skills.

In tandem to Bikes in Schools, Greater Wellington's Travel Choice team have been delivering to the region's schools a variety of complimentary active travel programmes.

These include the Pedal Ready cycle skills programme where over 6,000 students have undergone training in the last 12 months and Movin'March, an annual campaign supporting walking, biking or scooting to school.

Greater Wellington Councillor David Lee says, "The 30 plus schools that have been involved in the Bikes in Schools project so far, speaks to the community's need and eagerness for facilities that enable our youth to get active."

"This programme is one of many ways we're striving to support the region's youth through sustainable initiatives that support wellbeing."

If your local school wants to get involved in their own Bikes in Schools project contact info@bikeon.org.nz, or for Cycle Skills training contact info@pedalready.org.nz.