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
- Workplace and staff travel planning
- Community travel plans
- Road safety and active transport – cycling, walking, e-bikes
- Be Bright, Be Safe, Be Seen – cycling
- 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
- Travelling Safe – Puppet Vision
- 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 July 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 July workshops
Bike Month
Bike Month celebrates cycling in February with a jam-packed calendar full of free cycling activities across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.
There are cycling opportunities that cater for all, including non-riders wanting to learn, people looking to gain confidence on the road, and experienced cyclists of all ages. Riding a bike is fantastic for fun, fitness, and friendship – it’s also an awesome way to get to work or school, and an ideal activity for the whole family.
Tauranga has a significant network of off-road and shared paths and Bike Month is a perfect chance to explore them on a guided urban group ride or historic group ride. There’s safety and skills focused activities, events for families and children, and even bike maintenance workshops. All events are suitable for regular bikes as well as ebikes.
Adult Cycling Education
Travel Safe’s experienced Adult Cycling Educator is available free of charge to assist and encourage individuals, groups, businesses, and organisations to get the most out of cycling in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.
Whether you’re looking to brush up on your bike handling and safety skills, lead a group ride, bike to work, or learn to cycle from scratch, our Adult Cycling Educator is here to help.
The Adult Cycling Skills course is a great place to start and a perfect confidence builder for novice and experienced cyclists alike. The course includes bike and helmet safety checks, basic skills for cycling on the road in traffic, and advice for navigating intersections.
The popularity of e-bikes continues to rise in Tauranga, the extra boost you get as you pedal makes riding much easier. But it’s common for riders to underestimate the power and speed of e-bikes and handling a heavier bike can feel different than a traditional bicycle. The e-bike course was created with this in mind, and our Adult Cycling Educator will help you get used to the differences so you can ride safer and more confidently. E-bikes are also welcome in all the other courses.
Cycling is a great way to explore a city. Join our Adult Cycling Educator on a guided ride and discover Tauranga’s fantastic network of urban trails. There is also an opportunity to get active and learn at the same time with a historic ride, taking in some of the stories and significant sites of early Tauranga.
Those with a real love of cycling should sign up for our Group Ride Training course. It’s for those keen to share their knowledge and passion of cycling with others by becoming cycling ambassadors across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty. Learn more about staying safe and having fun during group rides, how to prepare, the differences between riding on-road and shared pathways, and what to do around large vehicles. Whether you're a mountain biker, road cyclist, recreational cyclist, novice, or pro you're welcome to join and help inspire others to get out and go cycling.
For more information and to speak to our Adult Cycling Educator contact Buddy Meyer at buddy.meyer@tauranga.govt.nz.