Active School Transportation

Active and Safe Routes to School is an initiative geared towards encouraging families to choose active transportation for the trip to and from school. Active transportation refers to any form of human-powered (non-motorized) travel such as walking, cycling, using a wheelchair, scooter, or skateboard. Students who are bused can also be encouraged to use active transportation to get to the bus stop. Active transportation increases physical activity, improves physical, mental and emotional health while also benefiting our environment .

The Issues

Childhood obesity rates are increasing.
The number of students walking to school has been steadily decreasing over the past 25 years.
Automobile dependency is contributing to increasing greenhouse gas emissions and negatively impacting the environment across Ontario.

An Opportunity

In working together, school administrators, teachers, parents, other school board staff, public health departments and municipalities can implement an Active and Safe Routes to School Program focused on promoting active transportation. Green Communities' Canada Walks collaborates with organizations and schools across Canada to help support active school travel initiatives and manages the School Travel Planning process. The Active & Safe routes to school website contains numerous resources to support schools and communities which can be found under the useful links section found at the bottom of this page.