Working to overcome barriers to children's active school travel by mobilizing children and families one step at a time.

Research tells us that children want to walk and bike

Children know that using active transportation to and from school is part of a healthy lifestyle, it’s good for the environment and it makes them feel happier. A recent Ontario study indicated that a whopping 42% of children are driven to school. Read more research.

Why don't more children travel actively to school?

The reasons are complex. The built environment is not conducive to walking, parents drive their children everywhere, schools are getting further away, children can’t bike to destinations, Canadian weather is challenging, common family structure and lifestyle is changing, and some news stories add to parental fear for children’s safety. How can a family overcome these barriers without help?

Welcome to Active & Safe Routes to School

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“Most mornings, my daughters and I walk to their school. It is half a mile from our house. Twelve hundred and fifty footsteps. It is often my favourite 15 minutes of the day.

Dan Rubinstein from Born to Walk: The Transformative Power of a Pedestrian Act.

“My kids LOVE walking to school..it doesn’t take much encouragement to get kids out and active; that’s their natural state…so walking to school is not a big challenge..”

Alana Bresson, Dominion, NS

"In transport and land-use planning, the needs of children and youth should receive as much priority as the needs of people of other ages and the requirements of business."

Guideline #1: Child and Youth Friendly Land Use and Transportation Planning Guidelines