KEY POINTS:
Transport educators hope to take some of the sting out of "March madness" traffic congestion this week by encouraging more children to walk to school.
Today's start to national Feet First Walk to School Week coincides with the return of university students to morning traffic peaks, a traditional
recipe for severe congestion until more regular travel patterns begin to absorb an annual 4 per cent increase in vehicles on Auckland roads.
But the Auckland Regional Transport Authority expects some relief from the participation of almost 60,000 children from 138 Auckland primary schools in walking activities this week - more than twice as many as last year.
They will be among 140,000 children throughout the country expected to walk to school in a campaign led by Land Transport NZ and backed by sponsors ranging from podiatrists to breakfast food and insurance companies.
Auckland transport authority chief executive Fergus Gammie said the campaign was aimed at combating an increase in the proportion of children being driven to school each day from 31 per cent in 1990 to more than 50 per cent today.
"In some schools, nearly 90 per cent of children are driven to school each day," he said.
"Walking and cycling by children aged 5 to 14 has dropped from an average of two hours and 10 minutes a week to just under one hour and 20 minutes - the Feet First Walk to School Week aims to help turn these figures around."
Mr Gammie said more than 4200 children supported by 1800 adult volunteers were now plying 235 walking-school-bus routes to and from Auckland primary schools.
"Walking to school is a great way for parents and caregivers to spend quality time with their children and it helps build local communities," he said.
"By leaving the car at home, you save money on petrol, avoid parking hassles at the school gate, teach your children valuable road-safety skills, and get to do your bit for the environment by reducing air pollution.
"And let's not forget that walking to school is also a great way to get fit."
Pedestrian advocacy group Living Streets Aotearoa is meanwhile calling for stiffer penalties for motorists who park their cars on footpaths, including around schools, where children are sometimes forced into roads to get past them.
It wants an increase from $40 to $150 next month in fines for parking illegally in disability parking spaces to apply as well to drivers who leave vehicles across footpaths.
Group president Celia Wade-Brown said that although she supported stopping disability parks from being abused "by lazy people", she was concerned at the number of vehicles obstructing the passage along footpaths of users of wheelchairs, pushchairs and other pedestrians with limited mobility.
AA spokesman Simon Lambourne said parking on footpaths was usually unacceptable but councils should examine the availability of space for both motorists and pedestrians before taking a hard line.