Travelling to School

Our school is committed to safe, active and sustainable travel to and from school. We encourage families to walk, scoot and cycle safely to school. 

Travelling to and from school

We are a Travelwise school, a partnership between Auckland Regional Transport Authority, Auckland City Council, and the school. 

The benefits include:

  • Reduced traffic congestion at the school gates, this improves safety for all children.

  • Reduction of car emissions in the environment.

  • Helping children learn road safety skills and become familiar with their community.

  • Encouraging walking / cycling to improve children's fitness and health.

  • Promoting the Walking School Bus.​​​​​​​

Our school has two patrolled crossings which operate each morning between 8.30 and 8.55am and again between 2.55 - 3.15pm. Our Year 6 volunteers, along with parents and staff, patrol the crossings rain or shine. Our student volunteers are trained to operate the crossings by the New Zealand Police. 

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Walking School Bus

A Walking School Bus is made up of a team of volunteer parents who act as ‘drivers’ and ‘conductors’ escorting the ‘passengers’ (tamariki whose parents registered them for the walking school bus) on their journey to and from school. They walk along a designated route, collecting and dropping off pupils at signposted ‘bus stops’.  By encouraging walking, it also helps reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools. 

Our current routes are:

  • Monarch Marchers:
    Starting at the top of Monarch Avenue (near 9 Monarch Ave) down the path to the cul-de-sac end of Monarch Park and then through Monarch Park and along Moore Street to school.

  • Hillcrest Haulers:
    Coronation Road (#4) to Hillcrest Avenue (#100), through Holland Reserve to Stanaway Street, through Stanaway Reserve, to Sylvia Road and on to the Eban Avenue school entrance.

  • Mountbatten Movers:
    Starting at the Mountbatten Avenue, walking down Mountbatten Ave, turning onto Lynden Avenue, continuing into Sylvia Road, and on to the Eban Avenue school entrance.

At all times on a Walking School Bus the safety of the children walking on the Bus is our top priority. All our Bus routes have been safety audited by Traffic Safety Engineers and Road Safety Coordinators from Auckland Council. 

The need to cross roads is kept to a minimum. Drivers and Conductors on the Walking School Bus wear high visibility vests with a Driver at the front and a Conductor at the back.

There is a minimum of 1 adult for every 8 children walking and operates each school day during term, rain or shine. 

Want to join a Walking School Bus?

If you’d like your child to join a walking school bus, there are a few requirements:

  1. Our Walking School Buses can’t run without Drivers and Conductors (parent volunteers), so we ask that you commit to being a parent volunteer once a week (for at least one journey to or from).

  2. Parents will need to provide written consent for their child to join the Walking School Bus.

  3. Walking School Buses operate on a strict timetable, parents are responsible for getting the children to and from the Bus Stops on time.

We welcome new Passengers and are always open to the idea of new bus routes starting up. 

To join, or for any questions, please contact our walking school bus coordinator Nikki Bines, on wsb@willowpark.school.nz

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Park and Walk

Did you know that you can park in the Northcote Baptist Church and your child can walk safely to the patrolled school crossing on Eban Ave and into School? There is plenty of parking there and we are very grateful to the Church for allowing us to make use of this.  

Safer School Streets Pilot

Auckland Transport are working to make it safer outside schools, help reduce congestion and create a space that makes parents and their children feel safe about walking, cycling and catching public transport to school. Willow Park is one of 5 schools on this pilot project.

Following the one-day trial held with the Willow Park School community last year, Auckland Transport (AT) has progressed its Safe School Streets Programme with the aim to improve congestion during peak school times and to make sure children are getting to/from school safely. A series of temporary measures have now been put in place, however if they work and the community are happy with them, Auckland Transport are keen to make them permanent. 

Key changes:

  • Drop off and pick up zones on Eban Avenue and Compton Street. No parking will be available on these roads between 8.30am - 9.15am and 2.30pm - 3.30pm.

  • Park and walk zones on Compton Street and Moore Street.

  • A temporary mini roundabout at the intersection of Eban Avenue and Compton Street.

  • We will be trialling no entry from Moore Street for a two-week period at the beginning of the long-term trial. Further consultation will take place during this period. If effective, the no-entry will stay in place for the duration of the long-term trial.

  • If the no-entry does not remain, a temporary mini-roundabout will be installed at the Moore Street and Compton Street intersection instead.

  • Speed cushions, flexible bollards and planter boxes to narrow streets, forcing traffic to slow down.

Include a map of the school area with these changes: HERE