An increasingly busy pedestrian crossing on Wai-Iti Rd has once again been the focus of Project Zebra.
The programme was developed by WAVE health promotion adviser Jane Sullivan in 2019 alongside South Canterbury Road Safety, the Timaru District Council, Timaru Police and Auckland Transport.
The Project Zebra team of Ms Sullivan and South Canterbury Road Safety co-ordinator Lucy Mehrtens were posted near Highfield School from Monday to Friday last week, both before and after school, teaching pupils how to safely and confidently navigate the Wai-Iti Rd crossing near Glenwood Ave.
Ms Sullivan said the constant reinforcement of the programme’s message was important for both children and adults.
‘‘The whole point of this programme is empowering children with the skills to be safe in their crossing practice because there’s not always going to be an adult with them. But also it’s that awareness to the drivers that they actually have a responsibility to stop and to be aware in school environments.
‘‘As part of Project Zebra we also do a session with the staff so that we’re giving consistent messaging . . . so cars know if they are wanting to cross or not.’’
Highfield School deputy principal Robyn Cooper said it was vital to have Project Zebra back at the school.
‘‘This road’s only getting busier. Our Rimu St crossing is also diabolical and we just want to be able to encourage parents to actually drop their children off further away and walk.
‘‘The kids definitely take to the programme and the parents are responding as well. This dad that usually drops them off at the gate is now dropping them off on another little part and letting the child walk to school because they’ve seen the positive reinforcement that these children are getting this week.
‘‘The students have been discussing it in the classroom and outside; we’ve been putting up videos and that’s even been encouraging the ones that don’t actually use this crossing to come out and practise as well.’’
She said it had been fantastic having the Project Zebra team, as well as the Timaru police, educating the school and the community in general on what to do at a pedestrian crossing.
Pupils were given signs depicting a zebra and encouraged to make eye contact with the driver and display their sign to both sides as they crossed. This ensured 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.
