A mum from Seventeen Mile Rocks is at the forefront of a call for better pedestrian access to Corinda State School. Cliveden Avenue West is steep with no pathways or lighting.
Parents have been calling for upgrades on the avenue for three years already, and even labeled the site as dangerous, with bush on both sides and rocks on the shoulder of the road.
Active Travel
Just recently, the Australian Health Policy Collaboration (AHPC) at Victoria University released a report called “Active Travel: Pathways to a Healthy Future,” that recommended all levels of government to improve active access to schools. A high percentage of kids and young people are not getting the proper amount of physical activity. They have recommended that children should have an average of 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
AHPC is part of a coalition of 34 high-profile groups including the Cancer Council and Stroke Foundation, calling on the Federal Government to set obesity prevention as a national priority.
Three-Part Policy Framework
They also revealed that one quarter of all children and 29% of young people are overweight or obese. One of the reasons for this is the lack of opportunity to get enough daily exercise through the daily tasks that they do, which includes going to school, thus the design of the three-part policy framework to enable Australia to achieve national active school travel.
- Building active environments adjacent to all schools that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists
- Establish a national target for physical activity
- Establishment of virtual knowledge hub for schools, communities and local governments to provide evidence and implementation information for active school travel initiatives
“We are now one of the world’s fattest nations with very high rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. We cannot stand by and accept such high levels of risk among Australia’s children when the evidence of what we can do is right in front of us,” said Rosemary Calder, director of AHPC.
Active school travel is one of the easiest ways to incorporate physical activity into the daily life of children.
Response To Cliveden West Avenue Concern
In response to the mum’s plea regarding the avenue, Cr Matthew Bourke plans to fund the works between Blackheath Rd and Ford Rd until boundaries changed, taking it off within the Jamboree Ward.
On the other hand, Cr Nicole Johnston of Tennyson ward said she will talk with the residents about the western section of the avenue.
