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A SCHOOL IN New Zealand has got rid of rules that govern what uniform boys and girls have to wear – and given pupils their choice, regardless of gender.
Students at Dunedin North Intermediate can now wear their choice of a kilt, culottes, trousers, shorts, or a PE uniform.
Radio New Zealand reports that two students approached their principal Heidi Hayward to ask why girls in the school had to wear skirts. Hayward found she could not come up with a good reason for gendered uniforms.
So an initial decision was made to allow students to wear either the boys’ or girls’ uniform. This was later broadened to include a total of five options after some girls got teased for wearing the boys uniform, according to the Guardian.
“We’re not necessarily expecting that there will be a great onset of boys wearing skirts, but it still sends the message to them that it’s not actually a problem to wear what you feel comfortable in,” said Hayward.
The move is also an important one in showing pupils that it’s OK to be different when it comes to gender and sexuality.
“If they see that their school is accepting of difference, regardless of the fact that they may not be ready to be different, it’s really an important message from us that we see diversity,” said Hayward.
In the UK, new rules were brought in last year in state schools to allow students to wear either skirts or trousers, regardless of gender.
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i really hope this man makes a speedy recovery, but these things on our pot-hole filled roads are lethal.
@Mel Finn: hope he makes a full recovery too. It’s frightening to see how few people are wearing helmets while on these things
@Declan Moran: They don’t seem to realise that wearing black means they are almost invisible to motorists.
@Mel Finn: Are The legal on our Roads
@pat seery: no
@Declan Moran: Motorists should helmets as they would reduce deaths and serious injuries to motorists. Also think a neck restraint would cut out claims for whiplash, which would benefit all motorists, including myself when it comes to insurance.
@Declan Moran: no lights, no hi-vis.
@Declan Edward: they are being legislated for at the moment. But they are also not legal/illegal at this point either as they were previously simply not addressed by law.
I agree with your comment about the pot holes , but the speed some people go on these is lethal , hopefully this man makes a full recovery
@Sean Fox: I nearly got knocked over a few days ago because someone whizzed past me fast on the footpath, not taking myself walking into account, anyway hope this guy recovers, but these things are lethal on the road and pavement and are a nuisance
@Warped Pearl: It was nearly a head-on collision, but he only moved over on the footpath in a second before we would have collided, I could have been seriously injured. Don’t know what he was thinking ffs
@Warped Pearl: He didn’t put himself in my shoes and didn’t make anything of it when I had to come to a complete halt and waved both my hands at him to slow down and pay attention. Cnüt
/rant
@Warped Pearl: Went on a bit of a tangent there, anyway hope this guy recovers, don’t know his story
Hope he recovers. These electric scooters are a danger to the user on the road. Also they are danger to pedestrians when used on paths. Lots of accidents are going to happen in the future. Something will only be done about their use, until several people are sadly killed
@Declan O’Farrell: are they anymore dangerous than bikes? I’m not trying to be smart by the way, it’s an honest question.
@Gordon Larney: Yes they are because bicycles have generally bigger wheels and are generally more heavier than scooters so you won’t generally go flying over bumps or potholes on bicycles compared to electric scooters. Also there’s seems to be less electric bicycles compared to electric scooters on the pavement so there’s that
@Gordon Larney: Yes they are less safe than bikes, because the smaller wheels get stuck in larger potholes a lot easier than a full-size bike wheel, and the smaller front wheel/handlebars can also get flipped sideways by obstacles, both of which cause the scooter to stop dead, and the rider to fly off – wrist, elbow, collar-bone (and some head) injuries are the most common. The design was great as a kids toy (ie: at low speeds), but the same-sized wheels and steering geometry doesn’t work safely at higher speeds.
@Warped Pearl: I totally agree with the size of the wheels being a hazard for the scooter rider. But when it comes to the rest of the publics safety I don’t see a big difference between bikes and scooters. Speed and size(weight) wise I can’t see how scooters are any more dangerous than bikes. We have all seen cyclists on footpaths, or speeding through traffic like lunatics, no lights or wearing earphones which is a danger in itself. For me the lunatics we see now on the scooters have just moved onto them from bikes.
@Declan O’Farrell: The scooters are perfectly safe, it’s the inconsiderate users that are the problem.
No training
No insurance
No restrictions
No PPE
No Manners.
Rant End’s.
@Declan O’Farrell: Safer than cars , over a hundred killed a year in cars, lethal things , many more killed by the polution.
@Gordon Larney: They are as they can accelerate a lot faster and are easier to lose control of. Bikes are dangerous when used on footpaths and pedestrian spaces.
@Gordon Larney: They are equally dangerous to vulnerable pedestrians when in the same space, Shared Space it is called.
From a pedestrians position it does not really matter if a vehicle moving at speed hits you it will hurt . Bike, E-bike or e-scooter they will all hurt
@Gordon Larney: I honestly don’t see any difference between scooters and bikes; except that most people can step off a scooter quicker than they can leap off a bike.
I’ve seen young kids travelling in pairs on the same scooter, at speed and on a footpath – zero chance of avoiding a collision or reaction
@Spot the d0g: saw this evening a scooter giving a tow to a bicycle. No helmets, highviz or lights. Holding up buses and other traffic.
@Matt: God forbid that a kind deed should be acknowledged. It must have been towing an entire fleet of bikes to close the road.
Some speed some people go and you don’t hear them coming.
Nearly got hit by a scooter on a footpath last week, the person apologised but should be allowed on footpaths or roads, they are extremely dangerous
@mark o donovan: *shouldn’t ?
@Warped Pearl: I agree that they shouldn’t be allowed on footpaths but disagree about roads. They have a role in transportation being a very good alternative mode of transport for many commuters and travelers to cars on the road. They are currently legislating for them, including regarding standards and speed restrictions, and hopefully when that happens it will be enforced so that they are obliged to follow the same rules as cyclists on the road. The main issue to date has been the slow pace of legislating for them but seeking to ban them outright would be overly conservative and counterproductive in my opinion.
Is it law that you must wear black clothes while using these scooters?
@Robc: It appears to be the case. They seem to deliberately go out of their way to be as invisible as possible. The real victim is going to be the car driver who is going to hit one of them.
@Richard Ahern: victim blaming. If it’s about visibility, shouldn’t we ban black cars?
@Mark: the black cars that have lights and reflectors?
@Mark: All cars, including black ones, have lights. Also, these days, the lights come on automatically at dusk.
@Mark: give yourself a slap
Hope he makes a full recovery. Saying that there is a lot of young people on these and they just don’t care. I spotted a 16 year old who was with little sister (I Presume) holding on to his back and no lights on it, I only seen it once I passed him. Zero visibility,
I’m just glad he didn’t damage a pedestrian in the process. Some really ignorant people using them on the footpaths and zipping quietly by at speed. I had 2 close escapes in the last year & now am constantly looking over my shoulder in the city centre to see if they are coming behind me. The police seem to not care.
Can’t help but wonder as to all these commenters judging scooter users.
“Nearly” hit, yet not hit
“Footpath” yet not supporting e.g. bike lanes for them to use.
“Helmets” when the only report on scooter injuries in Ireland shows that most injuries are to ankles and limbs, no helmet would have helped them. I do agree though that they should wear a helmet for personal safety, just not that it’s a panacea.
Would these commenters be as quick to judge a driver that crashed their car, collided with another car, ran down a pedestrian…? Doubt it.
And a special mention about scooter speed and being quiet. They are limited to 25kmh, why are we not seeing a call for cars to be fitted with limiters to the speed limit? The thoughts of 2 tonne EV cars gliding silently around urban streets at 60-70kmh is FAR scarier than any escooter.
@Mark: well said mate
@Mark: Are you saying because I was seconds away from being seriously injured, that that’s alright??
As per your question regarding cars speed limiter, cars drive on the road and not on the pavement where it’s pedestrians so pedestrians shouldn’t be concerning themselves about things whizzing past silently… I don’t mind cyclists and scooterists using the footpath mind you albeit that they are considerate to other pedestrians…drivers are trained to use the road (you might disagree with that) but what recognised training do you do with a bicycle and scooters… Yes why wouldn’t anyone not be quick to judge that…?
@Mark: that’s 1 of the worst cases of false equivalence I’ve seen in a while. Let’s start with the obvious: car drivers have licences, meaning they’ve had to pass theory/law & driving tests; they’ve insurance so that if & when they hit someone, the victim’s medical costs are covered; they’ve laws to follow that regulate their behaviour; they drive on roads designed for their vehicle; the cars have to pass safety tests; they wear seatbelts, can’t use phones; etc etc. Electric scooters have nothing like these. I saw 2 kids smash an old lady over on SCR 3 wks ago. Didnt even stop. There are even laws for bicycles; we need laws & regulations for electric scooters and bikes. There are just going to be more & more serious accidents & apologists like you trying to be smart don’t help anyone.
@Warped Pearl: It has been proven that e-scooters on the footpath is too dangerous. Singapore has banned the from footpaths, where the originally allowed them there.
I hope the poor man is ok. But it has to be said they do be flying along on those scooters, it’s like being on a motorbike, if u come off ur gonna get hurt and they obv dont wear helmets.
@Pádraigín O’Sirideáin: except the wheels are tiny and their brakes are not great not to mention they are not particularly maneuverable and Obstacle avoidance is difficult. They are great fun though! I hope the injured person makes a speedy recovery.
May he have a full recovery. Not good to hear of an ambulance, and gardai sealing off scene.
Death traps , bicycles are far safer
@DMC: nah… the scooters are not the problem…it’s the impact with a 1.5tonne+ vehicle traveling over 30kphthat does the damage! :)
@A Kelly: No it is the result in hitting anything. A pedestrian , street furniture or anything else. The motor vehicle can be stationary or travelling along doing everything right.
Not all motor vehicles are at fault in collisions with e-scooters, pedestrians or cyclists.
Here’s a real solution, and one that works for the green agenda, build proper segregated cycle paths on all major/minor roads in every city/large town in Ireland. Bring in a licence for personal transportation vehicles such as bikes, electric bikes, scooters, etc. To get the licence you pay 100 euro per year, this would go towards the cost to build and maintain the infrastructure.
@Shane Wilson: we already have dedicated cycle lanes (paid for by general taxation and EU Funding) they are called ROADS. These roads/cycle lanes are shared with cars…problem is, most motorists don’t like sharing.
@Shane Wilson: Fully agree. The license fee would really help with dedicated infrastructure and reduce deaths and injuries of scooter and bike users.
The money raised from motor tax, vehicle registration tax, vat on car sales, tax on fuel more than pays for the infrastructure required by the vehicle users.
The amount of money raised from vat on bicycles and scooters pays for what exactly………? About time these vehicle users becane responsible and contributed like everyone else.
@Anthony Guinnessy: Contribute to the cost of being knocked down by cars? If you say so.
@A Kelly: no problem we will put in scooter lanes too
@A Kelly: So its everybody else’s fault.
@Anthony Guinnessy: The problem is that the taxation on cars doesn’t come near to covering the cost of infrastructure, social and environmental impact! We are very heavily subsidised by general taxation to use our private cars
A license on Bikes/Scooters would have the opposite effect on modal shifts to sustainable transport to what is required.
Most of these modes have a net benefit to the economy, so in essence are paying more than their share already.
What is needed is enforcement of existing laws for all modes of transport (including the proposed ones for light electric modes) and training at school level for all kids.
We can see from cars that a license does nothing to change poor behavior, enforcement and training can.
@Gary Kearney: I’ve no idea who’s at fault …but wear a helmet when your driving anyway…it could save your life ;)
Why was the Gardai called to the scene?
@Cian Martin: Road accident with an injury requiring an ambulance?
@Cian Martin: It doesn’t say. Maybe he didn’t fall off a scooter, but might have been knocked down by some car? Unless they got involved to clear traffic around the accident. Hope he’s not badly injured and recovers soon.
@Cian Martin: the scene was closed from 9 am to 4pm just to show you the severity of the accident, I live around the corner and was out for a walk and the guards said it was a very bad accident and it was treated as a crime scene
This will be the start of the government now introducing taxes and licencing on the scooters as a scooter user myself accidents are fully preventable there a safer way to work and cleaner due to sweat and emmissions
Sounds like a nasty incident. I hope the man makes a speedy recovery.
Scooters are the least of our problems though… Cars and Lorries are lethal! The sooner we make it law that motorist must wear Helmets the better. After all if it saves one life it will be worth it.
Woman (40s) dies following collision between car and lorry in Co Meath https://jrnl.ie/5597098
@A Kelly: Neck braces would stop all those whiplash claims, which should reduce insurance premiums for motorists. Motorists should lobby for this
@Bennett blaster: yep Neck brakes, 5 point safety harnesses, fuel cells instead of fuel tanks, roll cages and hi viz, fire proof clothing! Imagine how safe our roads would be if all drivers felt INVINCIBLE? :)
@A Kelly: That is the argument of a 3 year might use. Look at the accident stats and realise motor vehicles do not cause every accident or crash cyclists have. Its annoying to hear arguments and documents that have been rebutted by the authors peers been fragged out and used as proof
Yes we need safer infrastructure that is true but we also need access to the urban realm for everyone.
@A Kelly: Strange how a story about an e-scooter driver you turn into an anti car rant.
Says more about you than anything else.
You blame others particularly one group, motorists but the story is not clear.
You make wild claims and strawman arguments which add nothing new to the discussion.
Instead use incorrect information to provide a false narrative.
Which suits you.
Typical
@Gary Kearney: this is the journal comments section Gary! Of course it’s a rant! Have you read the comments about e/scooters users? Your right, we don’t know the circumstances of this incident yet all the comments are about how dangerous e scooters are and how they should be banned etc. Etc.
My comments about motorists are backed up by facts (check http://www.rsa.ie) cars and lorries are lethal, most accidents are caused by speeding cars, distracted drivers etc.
E scooter riders, cyclists and pedestrians can do silly /dangerous stuff on our roads too but the fact is, it’s when motorists make mistakes that people die.
Sadly this will become a more common occurrence as has been proven around the world.
The proposed legislation is weak and is insufficient in so many ways.
The lack of safety equipment particularly helmets has been shown to be a major factor in e-bike accidents.
As with bikes the amount of Single Vehicles Accident is a large part of the problem.
With e-scooters the data shows that a large amount of Traumatic Brain Injures result from e-scooter accidents.
Helmets reduce these numbers and the severity of the injuries.
Helmets do not stop all injuries but neither do seat belts, air bags or crumple zones in cars. They reduce them however.
@Gary Kearney: helmets don’t prevent accidents. Helmets Don’t make a stupid e scooters rider more intelligent. Seat belts don’t make an inexperienced driver more experienced. Speed limits Don’t prevent speeding.
Enforcement of existing laws along with well designed infrastructure prevent accidents.
@Gary Kearney: can you post a link to this date your referring to?
Irish roads have to be fixed and we need more and wider safe lanes for e-scooters and bicycles. Because they are the future of commuting. We also need new law and educational campaign explaining that wearing helmet is very important and ideally high-vis too. I do ride e-scooter for years. Never on footpath and always responsibly. I’d also recommend driving license for faster e-scooters (25 km/h and more). Insurance possibilities would also be welcome. We just want to ride. Safely.
Hope that this person pulls through and makes a full recovery but these scooters should never have been permitted for sale in this country. No testing, no training, no regulation, no insurance (personal or public) no legislation, no traceability (if they hit you or your car) Imagine A MECHANICALLY PROPELLED VEHICLE that jumps from the road to the footpath or vice versus(depending on the ignorance of the driver). The Government were able to fast track legislation to eliminate Head Shops, can’t understand why no one is bothering their ARSE to move on this one …
????
Why are they not insured. Watch this space for loads of life altering injuries from people bashing their head at 20 kph. Pedestrians getting flattened. They will change law once we start hiting 100 plus brain and spine injuries per year.
have your say