This project will help Gibson Elementary School strengthen its Active School Travel strategy by funding dedicated staff members to supervise the Walking School Bus initiative, providing students with a safe alternative to having caregivers drive them to and from school.
Gibson Elementary School experiences traffic congestion and safety concerns around the school at the beginning and end of the school day. These concerns include speed violations, illegal U-turns, vehicles blocking crosswalks, drivers letting children in and out of their vehicles in unsafe locations, and students walking between cars in travel lanes, which contributes agitated human behaviours, decreasing safety and creating high risks for serious injuries.
To encourage healthy physical activity, mitigate traffic-related risks, and increase student safety, we are taking a public health perspective on road safety by promoting active school travel (AST). AST has many benefits and a significant one is it reduces the number of vehicles on the road and therefore the risk of motor vehicle crashes and serious injuries. Additionally, AST encourages non-motorized modes of travel and contributes to increased physical activity, better mental health, better learning, reduced urban noise and improved air quality.
In a survey of conducted last year, the leading reasons students’ caregivers gave why they drive children to and from school are time constraints, traffic safety issues, dangers on the road, convenience and the perception that their children are too young to participate in AST. While we want to encourage more AST, we recognize the constraints and concerns that caregivers face. In response, last year Gibson Elementary School piloted a “Drive to Five” location with ample parking space a short walk away from the school where caregivers can drop off and pick up their children. From there students can join the ‘walking school bus’ (WSB) which is currently led by trained parents and secondary student volunteers for a 5-7 minute walk to and from school.
After implementing the WSB, there was a drop in vehicle trips from 1415 cars to 852 cars. There was an increased number of pedestrians from 917 to 1060. Walking part way increased from 148 to 182. Students biking to school increased from 28 to 68 and students “rolling” to school increased from 7 to 28. 20 – 30 students are now using the walking school bus on a consistent basis.
This grant opportunity has strengthened engagement with our school community. We want to encourage a change of attitude and behavior to create modal shift where AST is the preferred choice due to all the benefits of AST and most importantly, its significance on increasing road safety and reducing serious injuries.
