Resources

SchoolTravel.ca is a resource hub created by Green Communities Canada, which aims to provide best practices being established throughout Ontario.

Smart Commute is a Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) program that helps individuals and organizations travel efficiently and sustainably.

Whether running around a track or simply stretching in your living room, physical activity can go a long way toward making you happier.

Start small: walk to school once a week and see the difference it can make to your child’s physical and mental health and school performance and enjoyment.

A PhD candidate from the University of Toronto discusses the walk to school and explains the many advantages of taking the car out of the morning commute.

The Design Toolbox identifies a catalogue of speed reduction measures that can be applied to a range of local residential street project contexts. This is a great resource showing what is possible to enhance pedestrian/cyclist safety on local roads. We often refer to this resource when discussing safety concerns with school communities.

the Protected Intersection Design Guide [ 12.1 MB ] technical guidance document under delegated authority. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on the design of protected intersections within the City of Ottawa. We feel that this is an important resource because it explains what is possible at our intersections to enhance pedestrian/cyclist safety. We […]

NACTO is an association of 86 major North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues.

The Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System is intended to provide practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and moblity for those who walk.

Sustainable Safety is the Dutch approach for achieving road safety. The goal of sustainable safety is to prevent crashes before they occur through design.

Vision Zero is a multi-national road traffic safety project that aims to achieve a highway system with no fatalities or serious injuries involving road traffic.

This resource describes the process for used by Hamilton’s Public Works department for traffic calming, including assessment and implementation of best practices based on road typologies, driver behaviours, and traffic volumes. This is relevant to student active transportation, as unsafe traffic conditions are often considered a limitation to walking/wheeling to school.

Complete Streets are defined as roadways that are planned and designed to balance the needs of all road users. The goal of Complete Streets is to allow people to get around safely no matter their age, ability or how they choose to move. The Complete Streets concept is closely tied to the Safe Systems and […]

This is a review and update of Hamilton’s Cycling Master Plan, which provides an overview of the City’s plan for integrating cycling into the wider transportation network.

We have shared links to the City Documents that we have found most useful to the DSR. For a more general overview of the transportation environment and other interesting documents, see the Hamilton Transportation Master Plan

Vision Zero uses a data-based approach to road safety with the goal of reducing traffic-related serious injuries and fatalities towards the only acceptable goal: zero. Read more about how Hamilton is aiming to achieve this goal.

A commitment between the School Board and the City to create a culture of active and sustainable transportation.

In an effort to improve traffic safety around schools, various parking regulations have been enacted. Drivers are encouraged to obey these regulations to create a safer environment for school children.

This is a review of Hamilton’s Sustainable Mobility Program, which is intended to shift travel modes, reduce driving trips, and place people and their destinations closer together.

This is Hamilton’s background report on the role of the built environment, including transportation systems, on improving the health of the community.

Vision zero has a simple and clear goal: zero fatalities or serious injuries on roadways.

We like this study because it is focused on getting children’s perspectives. The authors emphasize that children have a meaningful insight to offer towards a better understanding of how their local environment influences active school travel behaviours. We use this same philosophy in our work.

We think the social environment is a critical piece to influencing travel behaviour, particularly for school-aged kids. This study, conducted in Hamilton, found that role models and social fabric of the neighbourhood influence walking time.

Researchers wanted to understand if exposure to emissions were different between students who are driven and students who walk to school. They found out that those who walked were exposed to lower levels of emissions.

We like this study because it echoes our own thinking: that students have a transportation network of their own, even though it is not ‘legitimized’. This study examines how shortcuts can facilitate active school travel by decreasing the distance children must travel to get to and from school.

This is a really interesting study conducted in Toronto. A major takeaway was that the shortest path to school is not always the path taken. This can be influenced by the child’s social network, extracurricular activities, errands, and/or the perceived risk of different possible routes to school.

This study examined how parent and child perceptions of barriers influence active school travel behaviour. The researchers found that child and parent perceptions of barriers are different and have different impacts on children’s travel behaviour.

The return to school this year will be unlike any other. Keep these tips in mind to make your kid’s journey safe.