On 9 October, learners from three Roodepoort schools gathered on the sports fields at Unified Public School to explore various types of transport as part of an awareness campaign set up by the JMPD.
The event was set up as a part of a Transport Month Awareness Campaign put in place by various organisations. October has been known as Transport Month since 2005 and is used to raise awareness of the economic and social importance of transport.
Officer Mphahlele from the JMPD organised this event to educate the learners from the three schools on the different types of transport vehicles and their importance. Florida Primary School, Arthur Matthews Primary School, and Unified Public School learners were able to explore, touch, and ask questions about the range of transport on the school field.
The event also tackled road safety issues, which form a vital part of Transport Month. The scholar patrols from the school expressed the importance of road safety, saying that keeping people safe is one of the many reasons they joined.
The field was covered by vehicles of all shapes and sizes, as well as information tents from the different stakeholders in attendance. The stakeholders educated the learners on the types of transport associated with their jobs and the different road safety rules to remember. The event was attended by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, the Railway Police, the Johannesburg Roads Agency, the Department of Transport, Disaster Management, Transnet, Rea Vaya, and a school transport club.
Rea Vaya, a public transport service, not only noted road safety tips and rules but also promoted personal safety while travelling. While the pamphlets were aimed at drivers, the children were able to give them to their parents and take away valuable lessons about wearing seat belts and what is considered reckless driving.
From motorbikes to tractors, this event had every mode of transport you can think of, but the amazing machines weren’t what made the day special. The scholar patrols from the two visiting schools led their peers onto the sports field to join the Unified learners and start the event.
Artwork from the learners of the host school was displayed for all to see and police officers gave the schools a special treat by demonstrating their drills. It was an exciting and positive community event that was both informative and entertaining.
