School Travel
School Road Safety Education
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has a website dedicated to school road safety education. This includes curriculum resources that can be used to teach road safety in subjects like English, Maths and Science.
Our Road Safety Coordinators work with a Health Promotion Advisor from Wave South Canterbury to enable and support safe, active travel journeys to and from kura. Check out our tips for walking, cycling, and scooting safely.
Speeds past School Buses
Do you know the legal speed limit when passing a school bus that has stopped to let children on or off? It's 20km / hr. This applies to traffic on both sides of the road.
The most frequent time children have been hurt is crossing the road after getting off the bus, especially in the afternoon. This has happened on rural and urban roads.
Rural school bus routes and stops are determined by the bus operator, in conjunction with the Transport Network manager by applying the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Guidelines for the Safe Siting of School Bus Stops.
School Speed Zones
30km/h limits apply around most South Canterbury urban schools during the morning and afternoon school travel periods. School speed zones give drivers more time to react to hazards, help decrease crash severity and make it safer for children to walk and cycle to and from school. School speed zones are enforced by Police and there are fines for non-compliance.
Slow down!
- Always slow down to 20km/h when passing a stationary school bus. This is the law.
- Follow temporary speed restrictions around schools. Look for signage (often 150m from school entrances or school crossing points) which indicate the variable times. Some signs are electronic and switch on and off automatically at the appropriate times.
- All urban schools in the Timaru District have a 30km/hr speed restriction that applies during term times from 8.20-9.00am in the morning and 2.50-3.30pm in the afternoon.
- Some rural schools have a 60km/hr speed restriction
- Be alert for children walking or running onto the road.
- These low speeds gives you time to react therefore reducing harm.
School Road Safety Concerns
If you have any road safety concerns outside your school or early childhood centre, please contact the Council or email drivesafe@timdc.govt.nz
