New bike lights are just another initiative to improve student safety getting the backing of Tinwald School’s principal.
Tinwald School pupils were the first to receive bicycle lights that will help them stay safe and be seen, as part of a new initiative by the AA Canterbury/West Coast District Council.
Principal Peter Livingstone said receiving the lights was good timing as with the impending Tinwald Corridor improvements on State Highway 1, they are “likely to see a change in traffic patterns”.
The AA Canterbury/West Coast District Council have sourced 500 light sets, which include front and rear units, to donate to schools in its Be Safe, Be Seen initiative, which has been partnered by Davis Ogilvie and Partners – Engineers, Surveyors and Planners, to promote safer cycling in the community.
“Children can be unpredictable, and this initiative gives motorists more opportunities to see children on our roads,” Livingstone said.
Canterbury AA District Council chairperson John Skevington said the lights will help make kids more visible to other road users, “giving everyone more time to react before potentially dangerous situations unfold”.
“Learning about road safety is a lifelong journey – it’s not just about being vigilant while driving but applies to other forms of transport, too.
“There is no better place to start creating awareness than in schools.”
The Tinwald Corridor works, set to start around June, will include the development of a ‘safe route to school’ for students coming SH1 from the west utilising the new traffic signals.
The Ashburton District Council will also be introducing a permanent 30kph speed zone around the school, part of a district-wide change to reduce speed around all schools.
A speed reduction “just makes sense” Livingstone said, as they have busy roads around the school, a neighbouring preschool, and there is a bus stop for Ashburton College and Ashburton Intermediate students in the area as well.

• By Jonathan Leask