Cycle to School Events

• Cycle to School Day
  
  
• Metropolitan Cycle to School Events
  
  
• Regional Cycle to School Events

Cycle to School Day - Wednesday 12 March 2008

COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE - Cycle Instead!

The 23rd annual Cycle Instead Bikeweek, held between 7 and 16 March, proved to be one of the most innovative and successful ever, with an estimated 30,000 participants hitting the pedals around the State.

Coordinated by the Department for Planning and Infrastructure’s Bikewest unit, the ten-day celebration of cycling lived up to its slogan of “Cycling – Great for the Whole Family".

Many local community breakfasts, rides and treasure hunts, attended by people of all ages, were organised in the metropolitan area and throughout regional WA - from Tom Price in the north, to Esperance in the south, and Cocos Island in the west.

Records were again broken in the 14th annual Cycle to School Day, with almost 15,000 students from 161 schools taking up the challenge.

Of those schools, 133 were primary, 27 were secondary and there was one special school, with 86 of the participating schools from the metropolitan area and 74 from regional WA (also a record).

The Cycle to School Day continues to be a very popular event, thanks to the commitment by primary and secondary school teachers.

Despite an ever-increasing number of competing programs and a constant demand on their time and resources, the Western Australian teachers continue to advocate physical activity through healthy modes of travel, such as cycling.

Bikewest Manager, Ken Suttie, visited North Perth Primary School on the day. He summed up the comments from school organisers by saying "to see the happy faces of the children who rode to school on the day is a joy and so rewarding for everyone involved."

The rewards for students range from improved health and well-being, to building life-long habits of using active transport options, and the whole community benefits from reduced congestion around the schools and a reduction in greenhouse emissions.

This year's event received great support from a number of local government and Health Department staff in regions, such as Wheatbelt, Midwest, Stirling and others.

For them, the event was an avenue for promoting physical activity, through healthy modes of travel and healthy eating habits.

Each student who rode to school on the day received a sticker, a temporary tattoo and a participation certificate, and schools were awarded participation certificates.

Also, schools that provided feedback on their events were eligible to win a Giant Cypress Comfort Bike, valued at $500. Congratulations to Mindarie Primary School , the lucky winner of this year's bike which they can raffle.

For more information about Cycle to School Day, contact Bikewest's school programs coordinator on 9216 8556 or email.

To check out the 2008 Cycle to School events, click on the links below.

Metropolitan Cycle to School Events

The City of Stirling's TravelSmart Officer called for expressions of interest from primary schools. The schools that registered for the Cycle to School Day and/or the National Ride2School Day were offered $75 to hold a breakfast at their events.

As a result, Stirling had the largest number of schools registered, with 13 primary schools taking up the challenge and up to 1500 school students riding to school on the day, accompanied by many teachers and parents.

The following schools that participated in the 2008 Cycle to School Day were: Churchlands, Coolbinia, Deanmore, Dianella Heights, Doubleview, East Hamersley, North Balga, North Beach, Our Lady of Lourdes, Scarborough, St John's Catholic, St Peter's and Takari Primary Schools.

Schools were encouraged to continue to promote cycling and walking locally throughout the year.

Regional Cycle to School Events