Travel Safe is an integrated approach to sustainable road safety outcomes that covers Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.
Travel Safe works alongside community at "grassroots level" to lift the level of road safety and active transport across all ages from 0 - 80+ years.
Travel Safe have guiding principles:
- listening to communities
- keeping it simple and flexible
- developing community and school ownership at the beginning
- strengthening community action
- developing personal skills
- creating supportive environments
- supporting building healthy public policy.
Communities, schools, parents/caregivers/volunteers and students are the backbone of the partnership and make collective decisions using community developed templates. The programme fosters a culture of ‘valuing the volunteer’ and communities are encouraged to solve the problems themselves.
The Travel Safe programmes are underpinned by robust education, engineering, enforcement and encouragement and are reflective of community needs.
Effective road safety and active transport outcomes in communities influence lifelong choices and behaviours.
Travel Safe programmes
- Road safety and active transport
- Be Bright, Be Safe, Be Seen
- CarFit workshops
- Mobility scooter workshops
- Ride Forever (motorbike)
- Secondary school, tertiary travel action plans
- Community action plans
- Young driver workshops
- Active travel and road safety initiatives
- SADD
- School travel action plans – pre-school, primary and intermediate
- Kids on Feet (includes walking school buses)
- Feet first
- Kids Can Ride
- Intermediate school cycling, safe route planning
- Parking behaviour
- Ruben Road Safety Bear
- Caterpillar Feet
For more information about Travel Safe programmes please contact council on 07 577 7000 and talk with someone from the Travel Safe team.
Design your own helmet competition
Submit your design and be in to win your own one of a kind helmet airbrushed by a local artist. Download the template below.
Entries closed Friday 24 February.
Be Bright, Be Safe, Be Seen
This winter visibility programme reminds cyclists, walkers, runners and scooters to have lights, bright clothing and reflective gear if they are out and about in the early mornings and evenings, and at other times of low light and poor visibility.
Whether commuting to work, study or school, being active for fun or fitness, or popping down to the local shops, people should take extra care and keep safe by being fully visible on roads and paths. Bright, reflective and high-visibility clothing improves visibility.
All cyclists are encouraged to wear high-visibility clothing and ensure their front light, rear light and rear red reflector are all working correctly and are clean.
By law, all cyclists must have a red or yellow rear reflector that's visible from 200 metres when light shines on it. View the official New Zealand code for cycling for more information.
When cycling at night or in poor visibility, cycles must have:
- one or more steady or flashing rear-facing red lights that can be seen from 200m,
- one or two white or yellow headlights that can be seen at night from a distance of 200m (only one of these may flash), and
- pedal retro-reflectors on the forward and rearward facing surfaces of each pedal.
If the cycle does not have these, the cyclist must be wearing reflective material.
There are many cycle lights on the market - some are designed to help cyclists be seen by other road users during times of low light, and some lights are designed to help cyclists see where they are going, like a headlight. Check with your local bike shop about what lights are suitable for you.
Headlights should be attached to handlebars and pointing down so they don't dazzle other road users.
Be Bright, Be Safe, Be Seen is part of the regional Safer Journeys road safety programme. It's supported by Toi Te Ora Public Health, Sport BOP, local businesses, workplaces and schools.
For more information on this programme contact Travel Safe.
Courses
Get the safest fit for your car in 15 minutes. Please phone Age Concern on 07 578 2631 to secure a time.
CarFit is a free community education programme offering drivers a 12-point, 15 to 20-minute check of their fit to their vehicle. Trained volunteer technicians are on site to demonstrate how to adjust the vehicle’s safety features for maximum safety and comfort.
Age Concern and Travel Safe are bringing the CarFit programme in partnership with your community. It aims to help mature drivers find the safest fit for their vehicles.
Upcoming sessions to be advised.
It's about keeping you mobile – safely.
We want you to be able to participate in your community, without having to give up your independence and the things you enjoy.
Come along for a one-hour, free workshop and have fun, meet like-minded people, get great tips and free safety equipment, and talk about any mobility issues you may have.
Bring your mobility scooter, a friend or just yourself – everyone is welcome! Free morning tea and good company.
Book in for a workshop by phoning Age Concern on 07 578 2631
No upcoming sessions
Free workshop. Improve your knowledge, confidence and skills. Aimed at young road users, aged between 16 and 24, who hold a current learner or restricted driver licence.
Each workshop includes:
- driver behaviour (speed, impairment, restraints, distraction and fatigue awareness)
- a 60-minute one-on-one driving lesson with a certified instructor
- Waka Kotahi NZTA skills to ensure your vehicle is safe and roadworthy
- sharing the road with heavy vehicles and vulnerable road users.
- the importance of star safety ratings
Parents/caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend (but not compulsory).
Registrations for the October workshops are now open.
Workshops are held in the term 1, 2, and 3 school holidays and we will provide a link here when registration is open.
Register for October workshops