Active and Safe Routes to School
The Active & Safe Routes to School program (ASRS), in partnership with Ever Active Schools (EAS), aims to:
- Increase the number of students using active and sustainable modes of travel for all or part of their journey to school
- Address and solve ongoing transportation and traffic safety issues in school areas
Joining ASRS can help fix common issues in and around school areas such as:
- Traffic congestion at pickup and drop off
- Students/families jaywalking
- Concerns with students travelling alone
- Distracted drivers, pedestrians and wheelers
- Limited parking
- Illegal driver behaviors (double parking, parking in crosswalks, U-turns in crosswalks, etc.)
- Cars idling in the pick-up/drop-off zone
How the program works
Using the School Travel Planning (STP) model, we work with schools to develop and implement an action plan (check out this example), unique to each school’s needs, while aligning programming and activities with the Alberta school curriculum. Find out more about curricular connections for Kindergarten to Grade 9.
The program is student-led with administrative support. The EAS team will train the student leadership team, a multi-grade group, a whole class, or a grade team and work alongside them to bring safety improvements to life.
Find out more about our partner and how they support healthy school communities by combining Comprehensive School Health with School Travel Planning, a model that originated with Green Communities Canada and Ontario Active School Travel.
Contact us
To learn more about the program or give feedback, contact 311 online.
Wayfinding signage pilot in New Brighton Central Park
We have installed six temporary wayfinding signs in New Brighton Central Park, a step towards promoting active and safe routes to school within the community.
The directional signage has been strategically placed to guide students, particularly young individuals, towards the three schools adjacent to New Brighton Central Park: New Brighton School, Dr. Martha Cohen School, and St. Marguerite School. In addition to these signs, detailed pathway maps have been positioned at key locations, further aiding navigation.
As part of the pilot, the wayfinding signs will remain in place until the end of October. If you have feedback about the pilot, please submit it through the link below.
Provide your feedback-
Learn about the benefits of active school travel for students, their families, and the community
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Learn more about our approach for building healthy and safe school communities.
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Find out more about participating schools’ success stories and why they joined the program.
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Start the conversation with your students about active school travel and safety by doing these easy activities.
What is active school travel?
Active school travel is any form of non-motorized travel such as walking, cycling, skateboarding, roller blading, scooting or using a wheelchair to get to and from school.
Active school travel creates healthy communities with many benefits:
- Improves safety and accessibility in and around school zones
- Empowers students to choose an active lifestyle which can last a lifetime
- Improves physical health which supports brain development and can lead to improved learning and attention at school
- Improves mental and social wellbeing, and helps develop confidence and independence by getting to know their neighbourhood
- Reduces our carbon footprint with less emissions from vehicles
Resources
- How it works: School Travel Planning
- Do it yourself: School Travel Planning Toolkit
- Example: Active School Travel Plan
- Order FREE print maps for your students: Pathways & Bikeways Map
- Walking maps and safety tips
- Bicycling safety
- Report a traffic concern
What is School Travel Planning?
School Travel Planning (STP) is a community-based model that addresses barriers and incentives for active school travel.
STP is a proven cost-effective way to get more kids walking and wheeling to school. When effectively coordinated and implemented, it results in positive travel behaviour changes with health, safety, environmental, and economic benefits.
To meet the program goals, action plans use these five E's:
- Education - teaching and learning about the benefits of active school travel
- Encouragement - partnerships and services supporting active school travel
- Engineering - physical changes to the environment
- Enforcement – develop a Healthy School Policy by working with Bylaw & Calgary Police Services
- Evaluation - assessing the impact of any changes or projects
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Want to do it on your own? Here’s everything you need to implement School Travel Planning in your community.
Participating Schools
Click on the schools below to learn about some of our participants’ experiences. At the bottom of the list, you can click to see a full list of participating schools.
List of participating schools
| 2019/2020 | 2020/2021 | 2021/2022 | 2022/2023 | 2023/2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| École William Reid | Dr. Freda Miller | Hillhurst | Scenic Acres | Bridlewood |
| Manmeet Singh Bhullar | Dr. EP Scarlett | St. John Paul II | Bayside | Prairie Sky |
| École La Mosaique | Arbour Lake | Riverside | St. Sebastian | Eugene Coste |
| Dr. Martha Cohen | St. Joan of Arc | West Springs | St. Rupert | Huntington Hills |
| St Teresa of Calcutta | Griffith Woods | Crossing Park | Sherwood School | Valley View |
| St. Isabella Elementary Junior High | Apostles of Jesus | David Thompson | Fish Creek | St. Matthew |
| École Notre Dame de la Paix | Connaught | Woodbine | Olympic Heights | Simons Valley |
| New Brighton | King George | Acadia | Sunnyside | Panorama Hills |
| Captain Nichola Goddard | St. Marguerite | Stanley Jones | Madeleine D'Houet | St. Rose of Lima |
| Rideau Park | Marlborough | Divine Mercy | Mahogany School | University School |
| Calgary Islamic School - OBK Campus | Banting and Best School |
Easy ideas to try today
Easy and free activities to learn more about active school travel.
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Active Travel I Spy Bingo
Look to see how many of these items you can find while walking or wheeling on your route to school. Don’t forget to bring something to write with to check them off as you go!
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Safe Summer Active Travel
The squares on this activity card are intended as conversation starters. Ask students how each helps them to feel safe while actively travelling in their community. The sheet can be used for Bingo, I Spy, or even a scavenger hunt!
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Map and Explore your 2.4
The walk zone in most school jurisdictions is in a radius ranging from 1.6 km to 2.4 km. This step-by-step guide walks students and teachers through the mapping process using their personal computers and smartphones.
A guide to get students and their families walking to school!