Staggering school hours by up to five hours is part of a plan to reduce early-morning congestion on Perth roads.

The concept was included in the State Government’s long-term transport plan for Perth, which was released last year for public comment, and is understood to remain part of the finalised plan.

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The plan reinforces the need to “spread the peak” and have fewer people travelling in the same direction at the same time. As part of this approach, it says school hours could be staggered, with bigger schools opting to have different start and finishing times for pre-primary students or those in specialist programs.

The plan’s technical report explains that different starting and finishing times would reduce the number of students and staff arriving and leaving school at the same time.

“For example, school shifts could be split between a 7am to 1pm shift, a 9am to 3pm shift and a 12pm to 6pm shift,” it said. Companies could be encouraged to introduce flexible working hours or compressed working weeks, where employees work fewer but longer days.

Education Minister Peter Collier said yesterday that any adjustments to school start and finish times would require consultation with the relevant school community and relevant agencies. He said this consultation would need to take into account any impact a change would create for parents, transport options and the education program of students.

“In some circumstances, school times are adjusted,” he said. “Some schools in the north of the State have earlier starting and finishing times.”

This month in New Zealand, Hamilton City police inspector Leo Tooman called on authorities to consider staggered school and work starting times to reduce congestion. Staggering start times could also reduce travel time and fuel costs for motorists, he said.

Three years ago, Infrastructure NSW suggested that public schools should stagger their starting times to “increase the number of classes taught per facility”.