Ride2School in Tas kicks goals

Bicycle Network’s Ride2School program in Tasmania kicked a few goals this week, with help from the North Melbourne Football Club. 

We teamed up with the North Melbourne Football Club as part of its community camps program – and the project proved to be a hit with several hundred primary schoolchildren.

Ride2School co-ordinator Phil Joughin did a power of work to seal the deal and the North Melbourne players proved to be naturals at showing kids the finer points of __bike riding.

Forging this partnership gave Bicycle Network and North a great profile – North for its fan base and schools and parents for Ride2School.

On Monday players visited both Taroona Primary and Waimea Heights Primary on a brilliant late summer Tasmanian afternoon. Phil ran the Waimea heights program and national Ride2School manager Jeff McPhan flew in from Melbourne for the day to be head coach at Taroona.

Jeff is a Roo fan and insists the ball he had the players sign is for his son. Sure, Jeff. We believe you.

Roo skipper Jack Ziebell showed why he is a natural leader and lofty Tasmanian Ben Brown had the pen working overtime on autographs.

On Tuesday afternoon the team repeated the exercise at Austins Ferry Primary.

North plays at Blundstone Arena on April 8, which offers Bicycle Network another opportunity to raise its profile at a major sporting event.

We are in talks with Blundstone Arena management to repeat for AFL games the successful valet bike-parking service we offered at the Big Bash cricket.

There’s another high-profile Ride2School event coming up – Ride2School Day official launch at Clarendon Vale Primary.

We have our fingers crossed that by then the State Government will make a decision on whether to extend its funding for the program.

Bicycle Network did an extensive report on the results of Ride2School in 2016 but the program has yet to be evaluated by the Government.

Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding asked the Road Safety Advisory Council to consider extending the funding this year in the light of the fact the evaluation had not been completed.

The council was to have considered the issue last week but was forced to cancel the meeting.

National Ride2School Day is Friday 17 March – register now