The first couple of months of the year can be a busy time around schools with students eager to reconnect with friends and get back into the classroom.
They travel by car, bus, on foot, and with the continued development of our network of interconnected cycleways, particularly around Richmond, more are choosing to ride bikes to school.
Recently our Road Safety Coordinator Jeni Thornborough got together with Sport Tasman and Waimea College to provide a cycle skills refresher course for around two dozen international students.
Jeni says anyone choosing to ride a bike in this busy environment needs to be alert and good at reacting.
She says the first part of the cycle skills course focused on the basics like balancing, hand signals, and wearing helmets correctly, which was done in small groups in the safety of the college’s back field.
Jeni says once the instructors were satisfied with their progress, the youngsters were taken out onto the surrounding streets to get practical experience and build confidence.