Green light for students

Riverlee Danson might be a little too young to quit school and join a traffic management crew – but she’s already impressed the boss.

“She’s a natural,” said Higgins Contractors Waikato temporary traffic management trainer Mark McIntosh.

“If she wants to get into it, she’s got a bright future.”

Karāpiro School year 2 student Riverlee Danson takes a turn controlling pretend traffic with Waka Kotahi principal safety engineer Michelle Te Wharau, watched by (back, left) Mark McIntosh and (back, right) Mitchell Clarke from Higgins Contractors Waikato. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins.

Riverlee, six, was given a chance to control traffic lights when a road safety team recently visited Karāpiro School as part of Road Safety Week.

The team also visited Tamahere Model Country School.

Students at Tamahere Model Country School and teacher Nanette Lister watch while Jen Charteris and Jessica Watling from Beca talk.

At Karapiro School, the day began with students gathering to read ‘My Mum is Queen of the Road’, a picture book by Jennifer Beck, with Waka Kotahi principal safety engineer Michelle Te Wharau.

“The mum is a stop/go operator and it talks about why she’s important and what she does to keep everyone safe,” Michelle said.

Six-year-old Karapiro School student Jahkai Poihipi learns how to lower a truck-mounted attenuator with Higgins Contractors Waikato temporary traffic management trainer Mark McIntosh.

After that, the children migrated to the school netball court, where they pretended to be cars, moving through two sets of traffic lights and cones.

“I liked making people stop and go,” said Riverlee, who pressed buttons on a control panel while year 6 student Ryan Hughes used a two-way radio to coordinate traffic movements with schoolmates Aylah Roberts, Dylan Whiting and River Neho.

Mitchell Clarke

Students also learned about truck-mounted attenuators – shock absorbing cushions designed to absorb vehicle impacts – which Higgins Contractors Waikato regional traffic manager Mitchell Clarke said provided protection to the public and road workers.

“In the past 12 months we’ve had three truck-mounted attenuator strikes in the Waikato,” he said.

“They were quite minor and no one was injured, which is lucky, but if we didn’t have the equipment it would have been a lot worse.”

He urged the public to slow down at traffic management sites.

“We try as much as we can to put up temporary speed limit signs and road cones, but there are multiple breaches every day,” he said.

The children also had a chance to see a large traffic management truck, jump into its cab and learn how to raise and lower the truck-mounted attenuator, which six-year-old Jahkai Poihipi described as “cool and fun”.

Ten-year-old Dylan Whiting said the day was “exciting”.

“It was so much feelings and experiences and stuff.”

Principal Alana Thompson said the school’s proximity to a state highway meant road safety was an important part of students’ everyday lives.

“We’re hearing the ambulances and driving through road cones every day to get to school,” she said.

Karapiro School with their road safety visitors