Recently the Council teamed up with Sport Waikato Project Energize and Cycling New Zealand to deliver a biking programme for senior classes in primary schools.
The ‘Kids on Bikes’ programme, which was trialled at Rototuna and Hukanui Primary Schools, has wrapped up for the winter and has been given the tick of approval by all involved.
The four-day programme involved a classroom session followed by two days of skills wrapped up with an obstacle course and games on the final day.
Anne Flanagan Team Leader at Hukanui Primary School said the kids had so much fun and the programme challenged the confident riders while developing the skills of those who were less confident on the bike.
“The programme was a great way to bring bike safety into schools and ensure students got vital life skills for everyday riding including skills for biking on the road,” Anne says.
Hamilton’s size and landscape make it an ideal city for biking and walking and it’s important we educate and give students the skills and confidence to bike, which we hope results in more kids biking to school says Cameron Ward the Council’s School Travel Coordinator.
“We had an awesome response with a total 270 students being put through the programme. We now want to deliver it gain to as many schools as we can once the weather improves towards the end of the year.
“It’s been a hugely rewarding exercise so far, some of these kids could barely bike in a straight line at the beginning of the programme, by the end they were biking over seesaws and ramps with huge smiles, that’s what makes it all worthwhile,” says Cam.
‘Kids on Bikes’ will be starting up again in spring this year and spots are limited, if you want your school to be involved you can email cameron.ward@hcc.govt.nz