This project will help Hellings Elementary school to promote active school travel by decreasing traffic congestion and reducing risks for injury at drop-off and pick-up time around the school. The grant is funding active school travel planning and low-cost infrastructure improvements.

The Hellings Elementary School experiences high traffic volumes and safety concerns around the school at the beginning and end of the school day. These concerns include speed violations, illegal U-turns, drivers blocking crosswalks and driveways, drivers letting children out of their vehicles in unsafe locations, and students walking between cars in travel lanes, all of which contribute to decreased safety and increased risk of serious injuries.

Hellings is situated in a suburban area filled with a variety of housing options. Families live in multi-generational houses, single-detached homes, duplexes, condominiums and basement suites. Parents, single parents, grandparents and extended families provide child rearing and child minding for many of the students. The school population is richly diverse and vibrant.  

In the day-to-day operations of the school, everyone at Hellings works continually to promote safety, wellness and a positive learning environment. One of the ways we are working towards increasing safety is by addressing the traffic concerns that we see at the beginning and end of our school day.

These concerns have been an on-going issue, and has led the school and local residents to complain and report these issues to municipal bylaw officers.

Given these circumstances the goal of this project is to explore ways to reduce traffic volumes, decrease vehicle conflicts, and promote greater adherence to traffic laws particularly around drop-off and pick-up times. We hope that doing so will reduce the risks to children and their caregivers at and around the school, and shape the school community towards modal shift by substituting a significant portion of driving trips with more active travel to school. The school wants to provide practical, attractive, and safe alternatives to driving so that, collectively, they can eliminate these traffic conflicts and reduce exposure to the injury risks presented by drivers of motor vehicles.

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