Letters

Free Range or Battery Reared?

Ed,

Over the holidays isn’t it great to see so many more children out and about on their bikes or their scooters?

But what happens to many children when they go back to school, even if their school is the local Primary School? They just jump into the family car and become “Battery Reared” children being ferried to and from their local school every day.

Childhood obesity is a growing concern, so too is children’s enthusiasm for ever more screen time.

Transportation costs are the second highest cost to your family after your costs for Housing, so wouldn’t it be great if more parents with young children found the time to get on their bikes and bike it with their children to and from their local school?

But what incentives does your government now provide to make it more likely for you and your children to try safe “Free Range” transportation as an alternative to “Battery Reared” transportation on ever-more crowded roads? What are the costs of traffic jams and road accidents?

Your children don’t yet vote, and your children only represent 20% of the population.

But your children are 100% of the future.

   Harry Johnson, Iluka