About

Active & Safe Routes to School is a growing movement that promotes and celebrates children’s active school travel in Canada.

The movement is supported by a large network of Canadian organizations that believe active transportation on the trip to and from school increases health and happiness and creates daily fitness habits for life.

“Having them walk and bike when they can to school has been excellent for them in terms of getting a little bit more activity every day. I think they’re happier when they get to school and even when they get home. I know when they walk it’s a great feeling for them.”
~Bruce Krentz, Thompson, MB

History

The Active & Safe Routes to School movement began with parents concerned for their children.  A mom who noticed chaotic vehicular traffic in front of schools that made it dangerous for children to walk, Jacky Kennedy couldn’t rest until she did something about it. When she found unsatisfactory answers to her questions, she decided to study how other regions in Canada and around the world  addressed similar situations to discern if anything could be done at her children’s school.

She discovered the Safe Routes to School program, developed and delivered by SUSTRANS in the U.K. and set about to pilot such a program in Toronto. Over the past decade the program has grown and become the national movement it is today. Working with Canadian partners  Active & Safe Routes to School has grown into a pan-Canadian project that studies the effects of interventions in all kinds of communities.

What you’ll find on this web site:

Numerous case studies show what communities like yours are doing to get students walking, cycling and otherwise using active travel, and research shows these methods are effective. To create greater and lasting change by making your school community more walkable, consider School Travel Planning. For links between well-being and active school travel, explore sustainable happiness. 

Fact:  If just nine families participate regularly in a Walking School Bus they can collectively prevent almost 1,000 kg of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.