outside a Taranaki school, imnofox spoke to a large crowd of parents and children about the need for safer pedestrian infrastructure

“Kia ora koutou, it’s great to see you all out here on what has undoubtedly became a very chilly day, and therefore ironically not quite the best kind of weather to talk about how great it is to be a pedestrian- but we can’t play god with nature, so let’s soldier on.”

“When we were all kids, every morning, we’d pack our school backpack with a decent lunch, wave our mum goodbye, and walk or bicycle to school. Maybe while we were still in primary school, our mum or dad still walked us to school, but at least onwards from that age we made our way to school on our own, with our own means.”

“But as the roads have gotten busier and the cars faster, walking or cycling to school is no longer considered a safe option for our children, and I don’t blame parents for prioritising the safety of their children. It’s exactly what i’d do. But having so many more cars on our roads at the start of school and the end of school is bad for traffic and bad for the environment. This is why we need to make cycling and walker safer for our kids.”

“As we stand here, just outside this primary school, we can see just how fast these cars are going. That’s not safe for our kids. This is why Greens will reduce the speed limits outside urban schools to a safer 30 kph. Outside rural schools, we’ll drop speed limits to 80kph, with the option of a 30kph speed limit around drop-off and pick-up times. This will instantly reduce the threat a busy road poses to pedestrians.”

“But that’s not enough. We want our kids to be well separated from the cars on the busy roads. That’s why we’re committed to investing $50m every year to build modern and convenient walking and cycling infrastructure around schools, separating kids and other pedestrians form dangerous road traffic. Simple infrastructure with big results.”

“We expect we’ll get half of New Zealand kids walking or cycling to school by 2022. This’ll reduce congestion, reduce vehicle emissions, improve health and learning, and save families time and money. For every dollar we spend on this, we get $20 back of gains. That’s a bargain, and it’s so simple to do.”

“Greens are committed to finding solutions to our big problems. Whether it’s through better infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, investment in public transport, supporting sustainable farming, subsidising solar panels and electric vehicles, or whatever- the Greens know that it’s time for real substantive change to the challenges Aotearoa New Zealand face.”

“Tomorrow, reject the divisive politics of a National-New Zealand First coalition, and vote for a choice you can trust: the Green Party. It’s time for better, and it’s time to build an Aotearoa to fight for. Ka kite, thank you, kia ora!”

the crowd applauded because they loved the fresh simple ideas for local pedestrian infrastructure