By Callum Ludwig
The Victorian Government has announced a funding boost aimed at improving road safety with 90 Victorian schools, councils and not-for-profit organisations receiving grants to help them deliver programs that reduce road trauma and save lives.
Millwarra Primary School offer one of the most comprehensive Bike Ed programs in the Yarra Ranges, doing so for almost 15 years.
Wellbeing Teacher at Millwarra Primary School Andy Bennett runs the Bike Ed program at the Millgrove campus and said there are five main things students learn from the program.
“First, they learn how to safely check a bike, just a few basic checks of their brakes and chains, Second is to ride with skill and confidence, individually and in groups and third is being able to negotiate traffic, road rules and hazards in a safe way,” he said.
“Fourth is just to leave with a love of riding and the fifth one is generic to lots of things we do but to build and instil their overall confidence. It’s amazing when you see kids come in and they are either really timid to ride or can barely ride, and end up riding really well and loving it.”
The Millwarra Bike Ed program is run both at the Millgrove and East Warburton campuses, with an accredited instructor at each campus running the program at least once a week for two terms for senior students.
Mr Bennett said teaches kids to be more cautious as riders, pedestrians and eventually drivers.
“Most kids are pretty scary around roads, that part of their cognitive development just isn’t there yet. Once they’ve been taught about riding in a really systematic and expert way, they have a heightened sense of awareness that I just don’t think you get from just being a pedestrian,” he said
“Really confident bike riders who understand basic road rules are helped enormously when they get behind the wheel of the car. The more kids we can get riding safely with confidence, we’re just going to have a way better flow-on effect, I’ve seen it in my own family.”
Every second year Millwarra Primary School has taken their students on a Bike Ed camp to areas such as Burton, Bonnie Doon or Yea, where kids have camped overnight and ridden the alpine trails during the day.
Mr Bennett said the funding boost is important for ensuring all kids have a safer understanding.
“To be honest, touch wood, I think it’s a miracle we don’t have more tragic accidents on roads involving kids, they just don’t have that awareness and there’s no reason to assume they should, we to teach them,” he said.
“We are really lucky, we’ve got a set of bikes at both campuses, most schools don’t have that and it’s hard for them without funding, if the funding for schools can get 15 to 20 bikes, that’s a game-changer for Bike Ed.”
232 initiatives have been funded as part of the $1.5 million Community Road Safety Grants Program so far.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll said whether you are a student or retiree, a pedestrian, cyclist or motorist, these grants assist in bringing lifesaving messages to every corner of our state.
