Under the heading "Two wheels good, four wheels bad" Margaret Cook writes in The Age Education Supplement of 12 February 2007 that "Only a few decades ago, about 80 per cent of children walked or cycled to school - now the figure stands at just 20 per cent."
It is claimed that one possible reason for this decline in the number of children walking or cycling to school is due to parents "wanting to be nice" - to the extent that 17 per cent of morning peak-hour traffic during the school term is children being driven to school despite most of those children living within a 2 kilometre distance.
However various factors - concerns about childhood obesity and higher petrol prices for example - are conspiring to reverse the trend.
The author then proceeds to outline a number of programs running in Victorian schools aimed at encouraging children to get "onya bike". There appears no reason why similar programs cannot operate in NSW (or Australia wide).
Now might be an opportune time to push the issue - a NSW State election is due in a few weeks!
And, with another round of Investing in our Schools Program in the wind, there may be an opportunity for school communities to obtain funds from the Federal Government for secure bike enclosures to encourage a more active student population.
Margaret Cook's article is well worth the read and may be accessed at http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/two-wheels-good-four-wheels-bad/2007/02/09/1170524304554.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
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