Let kids ride on footpaths

Stuff reports:

A Lower Hutt mum wants a law change to allow children under 14, and accompanying adults, to cycle on footpaths as a safer option than riding on the road.

Jo Clendon said is was legal across Australia for children up to 12 years old to bike ride on footpaths. Tasmania, Queensland and ACT allowed adults to bike on footpaths. …

Weaver said there were 1635 injuries between 2010 and 2014 to children up to 14 years old riding a bike, and only 4.9 per cent occurred on footpaths. 

“There was a total of 80 that occurred on footpaths,” she said. 

Kathleen Logan reminded the MPs “we have forgotten what it’s like to be a child”. 

Provoost and Logan surveyed school children aged seven to 15 at five schools in the North Island on whether children should be allowed to ride on footpaths. 

“We’re here to represent the 1.1 million children in New Zealand so that’s a quarter of our population. They are a significant user of our footpaths,” Provoost said. 

The survey found 70 per cent wanted to ride on the footpath, 86 per cent already rode on the footpath, and 71 per cent said they didn’t know it was illegal.

It is the sensible thing to do. Teach your kids that they be polite and considerate to pedestrians, but when they are young you don’t want them on the road more than they have to.