Travelling to School
There are a variety of transport options for children to commute to and from our school. Walking or riding is the preferred option, as it helps to reduce congestion, increases safety and ensures children arrive invigorated and ready to learn.
The Transport Canberra website has a dedicated section for schools, which highlights some of the transport options available in the ACT. The site includes a range of resources and information about the initiatives being delivered to support active travel and traffic management around schools, including:
- Active travel toolkit
- Active Streets for Schools program
- Part way drop off and collection points
- Pick up and set down guidelines
- Ride or Walk to School program
- School Crossing Supervisor program
- Traffic management around schools
Encouraging children to walk or ride to school is one of the most time efficient ways for children to receive the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day. If you need to drive, please drive safely around the school and obey the road rules at all times.
Transport Network
The ACT Government integrated public transport network includes bus and light rail services operating together. Some students will use a single bus route while others may make bus connections or use light rail.
Tips on staying safe on light rail are available from https://www.canberra-metro.com.au/safety
Car Park Safety
The surrounding streets and car park can be very busy during morning drop off and afternoon pick up. Our main priority at Hawker School is to keep our students, staff and Hawker community safe.
Be mindful to slow down and give way at the two pedestrian crossings in close proximity to the school.
Please be aware that it is everyone’s responsibility to drive safely in and around school zones. When driving through the school car park please slow down (10km/h) and be alert for children. Please do not double park in the school car park as this leads to congestion and frustration. If your child isn’t ready for collection in the car park you may have to lap around and rejoin the car park line.
Some suggestions to reduce congestion are:
- Park in various locations and walk to school for pick up and drop off
- Students can walk, ride or scoot to school (please see tips for kids walking & cycling)
- Use public transport
- Drop off at different times in the morning, supervised duty starts at 8.50am
- If you drive, meet your child/ren partway
An interesting fact from:
https://www.transport.act.gov.au/travel-options/schools/travel-safely-to-school
If you need to drive your children to school, try reducing the number of days you drive or varying the drop off and pick up locations. If everyone opts to use active travel once a week it can reduce traffic volumes by 20% around the school. If everyone increased their active travel to two days per week, traffic volumes will be reduced by 40% and suddenly the school doesn’t face a congestion concern.