News
Introducing STAMPS (Safe Travel Around Merri-bek Primary School)
STAMPS is a volunteer group of parents at MPS who are committed to helping everyone in our community travel safely to, from, and around our school.
School council, PnC, and its wonderful staff make our school a great place to be
inside the school gates. STAMPS’ focus is making the streets outside the gates safer and nicer
for all.
Whether you walk, ride, scoot, or drive to school, STAMPS is here to advocate with you.
MPS is a Ride and Stride school
Merri-bek Council's Ride & Stride program is an award-winning innovative behaviour change program designed to get more Merri-bek kids riding, striding and scooting to school. Our school is considered an important pilot school for active transport initiatives, all thanks to our community!
In 2022, almost ninety percent of all families lived within a 10 minute ride or a 20 minute walk of school. Almost 70% of MPS families walk, ride, scoot or catch public transport to and from school each day. This incredible commitment gives our school the opportunity to engage directly with council and advocate for safer surrounding streets that benefit all road users.
Join the MPS Bike Bus
You may have seen the swarm of bike riding families arriving at school most Friday mornings – that's our Bike Bus! The weekly Bike Bus builds kids confidence in bicycle riding and encourages safe, active transport to school. For more information and to join the WhatsApp group, visit: https://zerocarbonmerri-bek.org.au/bike-bus/
MPS parents meet with Merri-bek City Council
In 2025, Merri-bek City Council engaged our school in a workshop to give feedback on road
safety issues around our school, and discuss solutions that would directly impact the safety of
our school community. Many ideas were explored, from dedicated car parking spaces for teachers, to additional bike storage and community gardens. In June this year, Council held another workshop to inform potential road infrastructure designs. Council plans to consult with our broader school community on design options in Term 3.
In May, three MPS parents spoke at the Merri-bek City Council meeting, advocating for
reduced traffic in local Coburg streets. As Council formulates long-term transport strategies and healthy living strategies, it is important that different viewpoints from local citizens are heard, and we thank those parents for advocating for our children’s safety at that meeting.
Open Streets on today!
Since 2022, MPS has been an Open Streets school – in fact, we were one of the first schools in Merri-bek to run this program. And thanks to Costa and a dedicated group of parent volunteers, it's still going strong! Once a month, for 30 minutes drop off and pick up times, Blair Street is open outside the school gates to walking, riding, scooting and play without car traffic, creating safe and healthy streets for families to arrive safely and sustainably. Keep an eye on Compass for the next Open Streets date, and enjoy the good community vibes in this pop-up play space.
Barrow Street Wombat Crossing
Two new raised pedestrian crossings have been installed at the intersection of Barrow Street and Blair Street. After more than four years of advocacy from local parents and citizens, we’re pleased that students now have a safer passage to walk or ride to school across these busy roads.
During construction, access from the eastern end of Blair Street was blocked to through traffic. This presented an opportunity for the STAMPS team to explore the variety of car parking options available in neighbouring streets. Stay tuned for an MPS parking guide for car users soon.
Construction site at The Avenue
Some of you may have noticed that the protected bike lane on DeCarle Street was blocked by
construction signage, along with several footpaths around the construction site on The Avenue near Sydney Road. MPS parents contacted Council concerned about safe travel through this area, and the protection of the beautiful shady trees on DeCarle Street. After speaking with Council, the signage in the protected bike lane was removed.
Car parking, bicycle access, and footpath access will be affected throughout the build. If you or your children travel through this area to get to school or KOTA, you can subscribe to developer updates about the work via email avenuecoburg@development.vic.gov.au with PARENT UPDATE in the subject line.
