Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) is an annual, national event in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in which primary school children are encouraged to walk or commute safely to school, an initiative of the Pedestrian Council of Australia. It is held annually in May on a varying date.
Originally only held in
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
from 1999 to 2003, the event began nationally on 2 April 2004.
The event is sponsored by the
Department of Health and Ageing
The Australian Federal Department of Health and Ageing was an Australian government department that existed between November 2001 and September 2013.
The department was created after the 2001 federal election from the Department of ...
, and is supported by all state, territory and local governments, the
Heart Foundation,
the Cancer Council,
Planet Ark,
Diabetes Australia,
Beyond Blue, and the
Australian Conservation Foundation.
2001: April 6
2002: April 5
2003: April 4
2004: April 2
2005: May 6
2006: April 7
2007: May 4
2008: May 2
2009: May 14
2010: May 7
2011: May 20
2012: May 18
2013: May 24
2014: May 23
2015: May 22
2016: May 20
2017: May 19
2018: May 18
2019: May 17
2020: May 15
2021: May 14
2022: May 20
2023: May 19
2024: May 10
2025: May 16
2026: May 15
See also
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Crossing guard
A crossing guard (North American English), lollipop man/lady/person (British, Irish, and Australian English), or school road patrol (New Zealand English) is a traffic management personnel who is normally stationed on busy roadways to aid pedest ...
*
Pedestrian crossing
A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American and Canadian English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or Avenue (landscape), avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna Convention on Road Sign ...
*
Walkability
In urban planning, walkability is the accessibility of amenities within a reasonable walking distance. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport corridors designed for maximum vehicle throughput. Instead, it s ...
*
Walk to School
Walk to School is a British campaign promoting the benefits of walking to school as student transport. It is a founder member of the IWALK (International Walk to School) organisation.
The campaign is run by the charity Living Streets and rece ...
*
Walk to Work Day
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Walking bus
A walking bus (or walking school bus) is a form of student transport for young schoolchildren who, Chaperone (social), chaperoned typically by two adults (a "driver" leads and a "conductor" follows), walk in a train-like procession. The childre ...
References
{{Walking
Education in Australia
May observances
Pedestrian activism
Observances in Australia
Walking in Australia
Annual events in Australia