Session 2
Session: Creating Safe Routes for Active School Transportation Presenters: Kate Berry, Green Communities Canada
Provincial priorities for mobilizing Active School Travel
Kate Berry Green Communities Canada
ROSCO-OTC School Zone Safety Workshop July 19th, 2017
Coming up… New guide produced by GCC on behalf of the OTC Active Transportation Committee, summarising: • The role of SCGs in supporting Active School Transportation (AST) • Key initiatives being implemented to promote AST in Ontario
Kate Berry Senior Program Manager
Active & Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) • National movement dedicated to children's mobility, health, and happiness.
Active School Transportation (AST) Also referred to as: • Active School Travel (AST) • School Active Travel (SAT)
Trends in School Transportation
http://smartcommute.ca/getting-to-school/resources/research-reports/
Trends in Active Transportation
School Travel Planning (STP) Traditional Active Safe Routes to School Programs (ASRTS)
Education
Encouragement Engineering Enforcement Evaluation The School Travel Planning process (Source: Metrolinx, Green Communities Canada and University of Toronto, 2014)
AWARENESS of AST benefits
CONVENIENCE of AST
CONFIDENCE about AST
MOTIVATION to choose AST
More children use AST
Recent projects
http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca
http://smartcommute.ca/getting-to-school/
Typical AST Stakeholder Map
The SCG role To direct and supervise the movement of people across a public road by creating necessary gaps in vehicular traffic to provide safe passage at a designated school crossing location “…..the driver of any vehicle or street car approaching the school crossing guard shall stop before reaching the crossing and shall remain stopped until all persons, including the school crossing guard, have cleared the roadway and it is safe to proceed.” Highway Traffic Act Section 176
How do SCGs support AST? • Highly visible supervision at crossing locations • Raise general awareness of the presence of children and school zones • Enhance overall traffic safety in a school zone • Help to address parental concerns about traffic safety to allow their children to walk to school • Contribute to social cohesion and sense of community for school and neighbourhood
School Travel Planning (STP) Traditional Active Safe Routes to School Programs (ASRTS)
Education
Encouragement Engineering Enforcement Evaluation The School Travel Planning process (Source: Metrolinx, Green Communities Canada and University of Toronto, 2014)
AWARENESS of AST benefits
CONVENIENCE of AST
CONFIDENCE about AST
MOTIVATION to choose AST
More children use AST
Research findings The presence of an SCG was related to 14% more walking to school. Rothman L et al. Influence of social and built environment features on children’s walking to school: an observational study. Prev. Med., 2014;60:10-15.
Poor driving behaviours are observed less at schools with SCGs Rothman L et al. Dangerous car drop-off behaviours and child pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions: an observational study. Traffic Inj Prev, 2016, DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2015.1116041. http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca
Routes to School Mapping • Promote walking and cycling to school • Encourage families to use School Crossing Guards
Walking School Bus (WSB)
http://www.trottibus.ca/en/
Decreases barriers to active school travel, including: • Parental attitudes - too young to walk alone, bullying or stranger danger, lack of time to walk with their child; • Built environment - lack of/gaps in, sidewalk/pathway networks, uncontrolled intersections; • Traffic volume and/or speed walking in groups make children more visible to drivers and can help calm traffic in school zones
WSB Operational considerations • Route and schedule planning: • A.M only, P.M only or both • single stop, multiple stops or go door-todoor • daily or weekly, seasonally or year-round.
• Recruiting, training and managing WSB leaders • Insurance coverage • Promotion and marketing • Evaluation (e.g., parent & student satisfaction, mode shifts)
Ottawa WSB Program • Launched 2014, currently 13 routes • Funded by Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) • First in Canada to use paid WSB leaders • WSB Leaders are recruited, trained and managed by Ottawa Safety Council, which also operates the SCG program on behalf of the City of Ottawa. • Approx. 50% of participating students were previously driven to school
Ottawa WSB Features • Online registration and route maps • Morning only • Liability Insurance coverage from Ottawa Safety Council • Max. 20 students and 30mins/route • Ratio of 1 Leader: 10 Students • Piloting Junior leaders (Grade 6) www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/wsb
Further reading
http://www.otc.org/research/crossing-guard-guide/
Thank you!
[email protected]
John McCrae Public School, Guelph (Google Streetview)
www.saferoutestoschool.ca
Provincial priorities for mobilizing Active School Travel
Kate Berry Green Communities Canada
ROSCO-OTC School Zone Safety Workshop July 19th, 2017
Coming up… New guide produced by GCC on behalf of the OTC Active Transportation Committee, summarising: • The role of SCGs in supporting Active School Transportation (AST) • Key initiatives being implemented to promote AST in Ontario
Kate Berry Senior Program Manager
Active & Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) • National movement dedicated to children's mobility, health, and happiness.
Active School Transportation (AST) Also referred to as: • Active School Travel (AST) • School Active Travel (SAT)
Trends in School Transportation
http://smartcommute.ca/getting-to-school/resources/research-reports/
Trends in Active Transportation
School Travel Planning (STP) Traditional Active Safe Routes to School Programs (ASRTS)
Education
Encouragement Engineering Enforcement Evaluation The School Travel Planning process (Source: Metrolinx, Green Communities Canada and University of Toronto, 2014)
AWARENESS of AST benefits
CONVENIENCE of AST
CONFIDENCE about AST
MOTIVATION to choose AST
More children use AST
Recent projects
http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca
http://smartcommute.ca/getting-to-school/
Typical AST Stakeholder Map
The SCG role To direct and supervise the movement of people across a public road by creating necessary gaps in vehicular traffic to provide safe passage at a designated school crossing location “…..the driver of any vehicle or street car approaching the school crossing guard shall stop before reaching the crossing and shall remain stopped until all persons, including the school crossing guard, have cleared the roadway and it is safe to proceed.” Highway Traffic Act Section 176
How do SCGs support AST? • Highly visible supervision at crossing locations • Raise general awareness of the presence of children and school zones • Enhance overall traffic safety in a school zone • Help to address parental concerns about traffic safety to allow their children to walk to school • Contribute to social cohesion and sense of community for school and neighbourhood
School Travel Planning (STP) Traditional Active Safe Routes to School Programs (ASRTS)
Education
Encouragement Engineering Enforcement Evaluation The School Travel Planning process (Source: Metrolinx, Green Communities Canada and University of Toronto, 2014)
AWARENESS of AST benefits
CONVENIENCE of AST
CONFIDENCE about AST
MOTIVATION to choose AST
More children use AST
Research findings The presence of an SCG was related to 14% more walking to school. Rothman L et al. Influence of social and built environment features on children’s walking to school: an observational study. Prev. Med., 2014;60:10-15.
Poor driving behaviours are observed less at schools with SCGs Rothman L et al. Dangerous car drop-off behaviours and child pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions: an observational study. Traffic Inj Prev, 2016, DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2015.1116041. http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca
Routes to School Mapping • Promote walking and cycling to school • Encourage families to use School Crossing Guards
Walking School Bus (WSB)
http://www.trottibus.ca/en/
Decreases barriers to active school travel, including: • Parental attitudes - too young to walk alone, bullying or stranger danger, lack of time to walk with their child; • Built environment - lack of/gaps in, sidewalk/pathway networks, uncontrolled intersections; • Traffic volume and/or speed walking in groups make children more visible to drivers and can help calm traffic in school zones
WSB Operational considerations • Route and schedule planning: • A.M only, P.M only or both • single stop, multiple stops or go door-todoor • daily or weekly, seasonally or year-round.
• Recruiting, training and managing WSB leaders • Insurance coverage • Promotion and marketing • Evaluation (e.g., parent & student satisfaction, mode shifts)
Ottawa WSB Program • Launched 2014, currently 13 routes • Funded by Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) • First in Canada to use paid WSB leaders • WSB Leaders are recruited, trained and managed by Ottawa Safety Council, which also operates the SCG program on behalf of the City of Ottawa. • Approx. 50% of participating students were previously driven to school
Ottawa WSB Features • Online registration and route maps • Morning only • Liability Insurance coverage from Ottawa Safety Council • Max. 20 students and 30mins/route • Ratio of 1 Leader: 10 Students • Piloting Junior leaders (Grade 6) www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/wsb
Further reading
http://www.otc.org/research/crossing-guard-guide/
Thank you!
[email protected]
John McCrae Public School, Guelph (Google Streetview)
www.saferoutestoschool.ca
