Ashburton Courier: August 24, 2023

www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Pupils get new lights
NEWS
Ashburton Courier, August 24, 2023
5
SUSAN.SANDYS
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
‘‘Nice’’and ‘‘cool’.
Thosewere among words
utteredbyimpressedSt
Joseph’sSchoolpupilsastwo
visitors came bearing gifts last
week.
Thosegifts were ones that
will keep on giving, in terms of
ensuring therecipients stay
safe on the road.
AA representative John
Skevington of Ashburton was
accompanied by Ashburton
Police SeniorConstable Sean
Patterson when he distributed
25 sets of bicycle lights to
pupils.
Therewas much excitement
as the children, who had their
bikes at school, thenmounted
the sets, whicheach includeda
front and rearlight.
Skevington is chair of the AA
Canterbury/West CoastDistrict
Council. The AA has 18 district
councils throughout the
country representing the
association’s members. The
districtcouncil’s aimto
improvethe safety of motoring.
He saiditwas last year his
districtcouncil came up with
the idea of giving out the
bicycle lights. It had already
donated abouthalf of theinitial
500 sets it ordered to other
schools throughoutthe
Canterbury/West Coast area,
including oneother one in Mid
Canterbury,Tinwald School.
‘‘Itwill be an ongoingthing,
we will buymore oncetheyall
go,’’ Skevington said.
The district council had
sourcedthe lights from China,
throughoneofthe district
councillor’s contacts wholived
there.
‘‘Wehave concernsabout
kids on bikes. Many people
cycle on the road without
lights.’’
He saidother AA district
councils hadbeenimpressedby
the initiative, and were
planningondoing the same
thing. Lightswere soon to be
distributed in other South
Island areas,and also in
Auckland.
Patterson welcomedthe
initiative.
‘‘It’s awesome, fantastic,
anything that keepskids safe.
The best thing about them is
they don’tcost anything and
they arerechargeable,’’
Patterson said.
The legal requirement was
for cyclists in the hours of
darkness to use frontand rear
lights.However, it wasalso
advised to use lightswhen
visibility was restricted, for
instance at dusk or in poor
weather.
One of the young cyclistsatSt
Joseph’s summedupthe
appreciation felt by herself and
fellow students.
‘‘They arepretty cool,’’ Indi
Morrison, 12,said.
‘‘At night youcould go out on
abike ride and it willmake sure
people know youare there.’’
Fellow pupil Vinnie
Thompson, 11, had one word to
sum up what he thought of his
new bike lights.
‘‘Nice,’’ he said.
ABOVE: John Skevington of AA and Police Senior Constable Sean
Patterson delivered bike lights to St Joseph’s pupils including
Maddie Brook (right) and Indi Morrison, 12; top left: Eleven­yearold
Vinnie Thompson thinks he will now be safer on his bike after
installing the donated lights.
Bottom left: John Skevington helps Indi Morrison, 12, install her
new bike lights.
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