Travelling to school

We are committed to improving safety around schools, encouraging healthy, sustainable travel and strengthening school communities. We support schools in Darebin with several programs and events including Octopus Schools, Ride2School Day and Ready to Roll.

Riding with your child

Our 'Riding with your child' guide is the perfect starting point for parents who want to help their children start riding a bike.

Updated in April 2023, it contains top tips on:

• getting the right bike for your child
• teaching them how to ride
• rules for riding on footpaths, shared paths and on the road

Download Riding with your child FAQs and tips

Octopus Schools program

Our Octopus Schools program promotes and facilitates safe and active travel to three Darebin schools. We work with local schools to make travelling to and from school safer, whilst promoting active travel to school to help students be healthier, better at school, more environmentally sustainable and be part of a stronger school community. This is done through a combination of behaviour change programs, school activities, and minor infrastructure improvements to create safe paths to school.

In 2022-23 we are working with Kingsbury Primary School, St Raphael’s Primary School and Bell Primary school on activities including:

• Creating safe routes to school, including Legs the Octopus footpath decals and individualised school travel maps
• Student safe travel education including incursions
• Initiating regular school active travel days
• Travel surveys for students and parents
• Audits of local transport infrastructure, including parking
• Dr Cranky’s Bike Hospital pop-ups to prepare families for Ride2School Day – bikes are checked and repaired and reconditioned bikes are provided to those who need them

In 2022-23 our Octopus Schools program has been proudly supported by a Victorian Government Department of Planning and Transport Community Road Safety Grant for Safe Routes to School.

More information

To find out more about our Octopus Schools program or to express interest in your school participating in a future round, please email safetravel@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Ride2School Day

Ride2School Day on Friday 24 March is a fun celebration of riding, walking and scooting to school. In 2023, nearly 500 Victorian schools joined in and highlighted the benefits of healthy, sustainable travel to school. We supported 17 schools with a package of prizes and giveaways for Ride2School Day including bike bells, bike locks, and water bottles.

To find out more about Ride2School day and to access posters and ideas for running events as well as helpful videos and guides for parents and students, check out Bicycle Network’s Ride2School resources.

To find our more email safetravel@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Ready to Roll – Riding to Secondary School

In 2022 we launched our Ready to Roll program to support Grade 6 students transitioning to Year 7 to improve their on-road bike riding skills. The program meets the needs of students starting secondary school who may be riding their bike on the road for the first time. The program covers:

• bike handling skills
• road and path rules
• communication with other road users
• defensive riding techniques
• safe journey planning

In 2022-2023 four secondary schools in Darebin participated in the program. The program was proudly supported by a Victorian Government Department of Transport and Planning Community Road Safety Grant.

More information

To find out more about the program please email darebinlovesbikes@darebin.vic.gov.au.

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