Stop, look, and listen is the lesson Oceanview Heights School pupils have been learning after a road safety visit from Zephyr the zebra last week.
Known as Project Zebra, the programme was developed by WAVE school travel plan coordinator Jane Sullivan in 2019 alongside South Canterbury Road Safety, the Timaru District Council, Timaru Police and Auckland Transport.
The project aimed to increase awareness of safety at pedestrian crossings near schools and so far had been previously run at Highfield School, Grantlea Downs School and Timaru South School.
Ms Sullivan said the programme had been initially developed from a community response.
‘‘It came about from surveys we were doing with schools, people were highlighting zebra crossings and cars not stopping.
‘‘It is a way we can engage with school staff, students, families and start conversations about the importance of safe travel for all.
‘‘The biggest message we want to get to drivers is that children can be unpredictable in a road environment. We teach them not to step out until the car has stopped but it can take a moment or two for a child to process if it is safe and drivers need to be patient of that.’’
The Project Zebra team of Ms Sullivan and South Canterbury Road Safety co-ordinator Lucy Mehrtens were posted up outside Oceanview Heights from Monday to Friday last week, both before and after school, teaching pupils how to safely and confidently navigate the busy Selwyn St zebra crossing outside the school.
Pupils were given signs depicting a zebra and encouraged to make eye contact with driver and display their sign to both sides as they crossed, ensuring they changed their vision and looked both ways.
For successfully following the rules and crossing safely, pupils were given a care ticket that they could exchange for a reward as well as a reflective back pack cover.
Miss Mehrtens, who dressed up as the zebra mascot for the programme, said it had been great to see how engaged the pupils were.
‘‘From Monday to now they are a lot more confident in making sure it’s safe.
‘‘They know the drill, they know what to do. They wait against the fence side and make a deliberate approach to the kerb.’’
She said it was just as important for drivers to also refresh themselves on rules around pedestrian crossings.
‘‘Drivers need to remember it’s a pedestrian crossing, it doesn’t matter what time of day, it’s still always a pedestrian crossing.
‘‘The rule is that if a pedestrian is waiting to cross, the driver has to stop.’’
Oceanview Heights pupil Brooklyn Buchanan, 11, said she had really enjoyed Project Zebra.
‘‘Most of us didn’t know you have to do this much stuff.
‘‘They’ve taught us how to stop, look, listen and look on each side before you cross.
‘‘It’s been very helpful to have them here to teach us.’’
Principal Sandi Abel said the programme had been great for the school.
‘‘Being on a main road like we are on Selwyn St, this will prove vital for us with the amount of traffic, it is so important to engage the kids in learning road safety.
‘‘The kids have been very enthusiastic, they love it and the ladies have been really great at engaging the kids and making it fun and making it educational.’’
