Riding

Parents and carers are responsible for a student's travel to and from school. Schools take over responsibility and duty of care for the student once they enter the school premises.

Benefits of riding to and from school

Being a safe active traveller can help:

reduce traffic
reduce our carbon footprint
promote physical activity
provide an opportunity for supervising adults to talk with their child about road safety.

Schools often work together with their community to agree on guidelines for riding to and from school.

Primary aged students are safest when they are supervised by an adult when riding. Children under 16 can now ride on the footpath unless there are signs prohibiting cycling.

Every school's surrounding traffic environment is different. Every school's entry and exit rules for students are different and are therefore managed differently.

The department encourages riding as one way to be physically active. Sometimes the busy roads and conditions around the outside of the school can impact student safety. Riding may not be the safest option. Schools can support and encourage safety for everyone with consistent safety on wheels' advice and reminders for students, parents and carers.

What is taught in schools about wheel safety?

Schools want their students and community to be safe. Wheels safety can be taught as part of the PDHPE K-10 syllabus, reinforcing safe, legal use of bikes, scooters and skateboards.

Key road safety messages for primary aged students have been developed by Transport for NSW to ensure consistent messages for children across NSW.

Safety Town is an online primary school resource that provides teaching and learning activities that reinforces safe riding practices, as part of the K-6 PDHPE syllabus.

High school students explore the importance of safe decision making when riding, and being a safe road user in their local context. Schools are encouraged to use Onthemove, a secondary school online resource developed by TfNSW.

Riding advice to share with parents and carers

Schools can support their parents and carers with articles/information shared through their communication channels;

Travelling safely to and from school on a bike or scooter
What if my child wants to skateboard to and from school?
Download - Ride a bicycle safely (pdf 1258.46KB)
Information about travelling independently.
Safety and rules for bicycle riders (Service NSW)

Advice to schools about students riding safely to and from school

Schools can:

provide bicycle/wheeled device guidelines to parents/carers and students about bringing bikes onto school grounds. (sample bicycle and wheeled device templates available - staff only)
regularly remind students, parents and carers about the importance of riding safely, wearing a helmet and storing their wheeled devices in the right place at school. (sample not wearing a helmet letter templates available - staff only)

What the law says

Scooters, skateboards, and rollerblades (wheeled recreation devices) are subject to NSW Road Rules. TfNSW advice
Cyclists in NSW must also follow the road rules. Children under 16 and older riders who are supervising them may ride on footpaths unless signs specifically prohibit it.
Children over 16 may not ride on footpaths unless they are shared footpaths. When riding on the road, riders need to keep to the left and where possible use marked bike lanes.
All riders must keep to the left and give way to pedestrians.
It is legal to ride on some small roads however Transport for NSW recommends children do not ride scooters, skateboards or rollerblades on roads. We fully support this recommendation.
It's the law to wear a helmet in public spaces when on a bicycle.
All petrol-powered bicycles are illegal on NSW roads and road-related areas such as footpaths, shared paths, cycle ways and cycle paths
All privately owned escooters are illegal in public spaces.

Refer to Information for parents and carers about safety on wheels (385.44KB) pdf (Transport for NSW)

Safe bikes

All bikes must be in good safe working order fitted with working brakes, reflectors, a bell and lights if being used at night.
A bell and brake are required by law when riding in public
A guide to bicycle maintenance safety check should be done before any trip on a bike and regular maintenance is recommended.
A guide to wheeled devices maintenance such as skateboards, rollerblades and scooters

Helmets and safety gear

Cyclists of all ages are required by law to wear a correctly fitted and fastened helmet that meets the Australian Standard (AS/NZS 2063). Parents and carers are asked to support the school and the department by complying with this law.
Schools may advise parents or carers if a student is not wearing a helmet. The school may request the student not bring their bike onto school grounds. (sample letter templates available - staff only)
Transport for NSW recommends riders of scooters and skateboards wear an approved helmet (meets Australian standard (AS/NZS 2063) and protective gear such as knee pads and elbow pads. The department supports this recommendation.

Unsafe riding behaviour

Principals can deny permission for a student bringing a bike, scooter or skateboard into the school if the school deems that the student is displaying unsafe behaviours when travelling to and from school, or if it considers bringing the wheeled device onto school property will affect the safety of others.

If a student does not meet the safety requirements, the school will advise parents or carers and may request the student not bring their bike, scooter or skateboard onto school grounds.

Banning riding to and from school

How a student travels to and from school is the responsibility of the parent or carer.

A principal cannot enforce how a student should or should not travel to school.

However, a principal can ban the bringing of bikes, scooters, skateboards and other wheeled devices onto school premises if:

it is identified that the traffic environment is unsafe for students to ride in,
the wheeled devices onsite present a hazard and/or safety risk to others,
the wheeled device (ebike, escooter) is illegal to be ridden on NSW road and road related areas, such as footpaths
a student persistently displays unsafe behaviours when travelling, or
there has been extensive consultation between school staff and the school community to identify, address and resolve the concern.

Schools do have a duty of care to ensure all students are travelling as safely as possible to school by:

providing localised teaching and learning activities about safe travel to and from school, including safe riding behaviours, safety gear and helmets
informing parents and carers of how students are expected to ride safely and follow the road rules to and from school
notifying the student if they are seen riding unsafely in the traffic environment.

If a student is seen arriving or leaving the school without wearing a correctly fitted helmet or the bike is unroadworthy the school should:

advise the student to walk with their bike, and not ride their bike until the condition is met
notify parents and carers if a student is seen repeatedly riding unsafely, is riding an unroadworthy bike or not correctly wearing their helmet to or from school
notify relevant authorities if the school becomes aware of a traffic environment infrastructure issue, or efforts to liaise with parents and carers do not result in improved student riding behaviours.
documenting all the above actions.

Storing wheeled devices and helmets at school

Not all schools have the facilities to store students' wheeled devices. The decision to install and maintain bike racks is made by the school. Some schools choose not to have bikes brought into the school. This may be due to safety reasons, or the inability to safely secure bikes. Principals have the authority to stop students from bringing bikes, scooters and skateboards (ebikes and escooters) onto school property.
Wheeled devices need to be stored in the area specified by the school. The school accepts no responsibility for loss, damage or theft. We recommend that students lock their wheeled device with a secure chain.
The school may assist with safe storage of helmets if space permits.

The facts on riding motorised wheeled devices in NSW

Motorised devices are illegal for travelling to and from school.

The latest and current information to share with your school community.

What is an e-bike?

A key element of bicycles is that they are primarily propelled by the rider.
If you can ride a bike without pedalling, it is no longer a bicycle. You are therefore potentially subject to the laws of riding a motorcycle and the relevant fines.
For more information: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/bicycle-riders/petrol-powered-bicycles.html

What is an e-scooter?

Personal e-scooters remain illegal on NSW roads and road-related areas, including footpaths, shared paths and bicycle lanes. They can only be used on private property.
For more information: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/e-scooters/index.html

What e-bikes are legally allowed to be ridden in public?

There are two types of permitted e-bikes in NSW: power-assisted pedal cycles and electrically power-assisted cycles.
While e-bikes sold in Australia meet the legal requirements, there is currently no quality control over e-bikes purchased and shipped from overseas retailers.

What rules must e-bike riders follow?

E-bikes are subject to the same rules as bicycles. To be considered a bicycle the e-bike cannot be propelled exclusively by a motor. E-bikes must not assist pedalling past the speed of 25km/h.

Are e-scooters allowed on roads and paths?

E-scooters cannot legally be ridden on public roads and paths in NSW, only on private property.
The exception is where e-scooter trials are taking place, approved by Transport for NSW.
TfNSW is currently trialling the use of these devices in some locations. It is limited to electric scooter shared services, not privately owned scooters. Go to Transport for NSW for more information about the trial

Cycling School Bus

A cycling school bus is a group of primary school children who ride bicycles (or another wheeled device) to and/or from school along a set route, accompanied by supervising adults. One adult drives at the front of the 'bus' while another adult supervises at the rear of the 'bus'. The cycling school bus picks up passengers at designated cycling bus stops on the way to and/or from school.

The responsibility for a child's travel to and from school remains a parent's responsibility.

Read this information if your school community is interested in implementing a Cycling School Bus. Contact your Road Safety Education Officer to find out more.