Marked with blue signage, the kiss and ride zone have been installed at Forster Public School, Tuncurry Public School and Holy Name School in Forster on a trial basis.

If successful, they may be rolled out across the MidCoast Council region over the next year.

Next Tuesday, August 1 council's road safety officer, Chris Dimarco along with council rangers will be drawing attention to the new kiss and ride zone at Forster Public School in a unique way by chalking the kerb blue to match the signs. 

School principal Rick Clissold says: "School drop off in the mornings can be a very busy time on our roads and it's vitally important to us that children are safe as they alight from vehicles.

“The kiss and ride zones allow parents to stop, assist the child with getting out of the car and getting school bags, kiss them goodbye and ensure everyone can arrive safely.”

Mr Dimarco says: "Children look to us to keep them safe.

“We're calling on school communities to get behind us and make sure every driver knows the signs around school and knows the rules that apply.

"The idea is to give children and drivers a very clear indication of where it is safe and permissible to pull up.

"The chalk paint will wear off after a few days, but the signs will remain and we hope everyone will stick to the kiss and ride zones when dropping children off at school."

A kiss and ride zone has the same rules as a No Parking sign during the school zone times.

You are allowed to pull up and assist your child to exit via the pavement side door.

You may get out of the car to unload baggage, but you must remain within three metres of the car.

And you must leave within two minutes. 

Pulling up in designated bus zones or no stopping zones is illegal and unsafe for children alighting from vehicles.

To protect our children, penalties and demerit points apply for anyone breaking the rules.