Safe and Active Routes to School Program: Experiences and Lessons Learned

This paper describes how recent surveys in developed countries have found that very few children walk to school. This is most common in families, where both parents work outside their home, and driving their children to school is the only option to meet their demanding work and home schedule. The increasing use of automobiles has created traffic congestion on roads, spiraling accident fatalities and injuries, environmental pollution, reduced opportunities for daily physical activity for children, thus affecting economic well-being and health of the people in the community. As a result, many communities are implementing Safe and Active Routes to School programs to assess community infrastructure and encourage families to use active travel. Unfortunately, most transportation planners and engineers have concentrated their efforts in providing an effective transportation system for automobile and transit modes. The non-motorized or active transportation modes such as walking, cycling and in-line skating have been either neglected or not recognized as they should have been. It is very essential that transportation and land use planning are integrated to promote sustainable and active transportation modes. This paper emphasizes how Ontario communities are applying the 5 E’s (Engineering, Enforcement, Encouragement, Education and Evaluation) to encourage sustainable and active modes of transportation. Green Communities: Active & Safe Routes to School program in Ontario, Canada, has grown steadily over ten years, building it’s strengths on developing community based programs that include all stakeholders: school districts, municipal transportation staff, police, public health professionals and local groups with an interest in safety, sustainable transportation and health. In Peel Region the program has been in place since 1999 and was renamed by the local committee as the Peel Safe and Active Routes to School (PSARTS). The Region of Peel comprises of three municipalities: Mississauga, Brampton and the Town of Caledon with a population of 1.15 million people. The Peel SARTS program promotes International Walk to School (IWALK) and participation is growing – in 2005 over 107 schools participated. Schools are then encouraged to hold regular walking challenges, like Walking/Wheeling Wednesdays to keep the momentum going. Traffic and other safety issues are addressed through the local Traffic Safety Councils and, where needed, changes are made to schools zones or along routes to school to increase the safety of students walking or biking. The Peel SARTS committee has created resources with a local flavor and step-by-step guidelines on how to implement a program. The authors are thrilled in Peel to recognize the efforts of Morton Way Public School, the winner of the second International Walk to School Award. This school has been involved in the Peel SARTS program for six years, starting with International Walk to School Day and introducing Walking Wednesdays, Walking School Buses, and innovative campaigns to encourage parents to leave their cars at home.

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