An AA survey has revealed the hazards Auckland parents face when walking, driving, and cycling their kids to school.
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Double and triple parking outside schools, uneven footpaths, speeding drivers and a lack of pedestrian crossings were among the most common responses from the 1600 parents who answered.
"Buses, cars from multiple, un-aligned directions, poor visibility, no crossing, parked cars at the shops coming and going," one St Heliers respondent wrote, NZME reports.
"[The] council's idea about kids walking to school looks pretty much insane when you live on Caulton St," a Stonefields parent shared.
According to the Ministry of Transport, just 29 percent of students walked to school in 2014, compared to 42 percent in the late 1980s. While 12 percent of students used to bike to school, that number in 2014 was less than 5 percent.
AA spokesperson Vanessa Wills told NZME parents often drive children to school because they see it as the safest option.
"There isn't always safe walking and cycling infrastructure and the numbers reflect that."
She said the Regional Land Transport Plan's allocation of $900 million over 10 years would be a huge help or the school transport networks.
Newshub.
