BQ go back to school for our Bicycle Skills and Road Safety School Programs

A big thank you to all the schools and communities that took part in Bicycle Queensland’s Bicycle Skills and Road Safety Program over the last few months. We would like to make a special mention of our supporting partners, KrushOz for supplying some excellent prizes on the day, and My Bike Shop in Mitchelton for handing out some discount vouchers and giving all the bikes a safety check prior to running our sessions at St Peter’s Chanel School.

As children become more mobile and explore urban traffic environments, embedding safe walking and cycling behaviours in children is vital in laying the foundations for safe independent mobility throughout life. BQ’s school and kindergarten programs engage students in the Australian Curriculum and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines designed road safety practices.

We’d like to thank Yeronga State School and St Peter’s Chanel School, The Gap, Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure Maudsland and Mermaid Water as well as Highfields Child Care Centre for their organisation and support. In these sessions we covered,

• Helmet fitting
• ABC bike safety
• Controlled and emergency braking
• Signalling
• Understanding road signs
• Stranger danger

It’s proven that the knowledge we teach students in our program build confidence and skills on and around the bike as well as preparing them for slow traffic environments. The more children who ride, scoot, or walk to school, the fewer cars there will be on the roads and the less traffic congestion there will be around schools. Students who actively travel arrive awake and alert—improving their concentration, recall, and ability to understand the material being taught.

“My 6-year-old daughter has been reminding us how to use the 2-finger rule to ensure our helmets are fit correctly” – Kate, Parent

“The information about road safety and route planning gave my son the confidence to ride to school for the first time.” – Jenny, Parent

“I really liked the emergency braking. It was heaps fun. I learned how to stop fast and avoid obstacles.” – Oliver, Student

“…the kids at the school benefited greatly and my 2 kids are constantly reminding me with the useful tips they learnt (for in the car and on the bike!).” Fiona, Parent

Towards the end of the year, we will visit a few more schools across South-East Queensland and look forward to the next round of Community Road Safety Grants opening so we can build on the success of 2021. Keep your eye on the Community Road Safety Grant webpage for more info or get in touch at info@bq.org.au to book in your school or community.