Geraldton Primary School students walk or ride to school during Your Move committee event to reduce traffic

Plenty of primary school students were seen on their wheels on Friday morning after Geraldton Primary School held a Walk or Ride to School Day.

Through Geraldton Primary School’s Your Move committee, an initiative through the Department of Transport, students and parents are urged not to start engines and instead walk or ride to school, boosting wellbeing and reducing carbon emissions.

Representatives from the Cancer Council and Your Move provided a healthy top-up breakfast consisting of cut-up fruits while the milkshake-making bicycle was a hit with the students.

School principal Jacqui Quartermaine said the initiative was held each quarter and began two years ago in response to traffic congestion issues, with an aim to reduce cars in the area.

“The Your Move committee is composed of students, staff and parents who are very active, we meet twice per term and we do different events to promote children riding, walking, scooting or skating to school,” she said.

“It makes the students and parents think ‘how can we reduce our carbon footprint, keep kids active and how do we have families interacting together’.”

Your Move committee member Sarah Armitage said the activity aimed to encourage the kids to ride to school and had noticed less participation this year compared to last.

“We’re just trying to remind them how easy it is to do and if a whole group of them do it, it just reduces the traffic and makes it easier for everyone,” she said.