Active school travel includes walking, cycling, wheeling, or any other form of human-powered movement on the way to or from school. Learn more information about different ways that active transportation can be supported and incorporated into the educational environment.
- Students who are physically active are better prepared to focus and learn in school and students who take part in active school travel arrive more alert and “ready to go”
- Active school travel
- Helps add more physical activity into daily routines
- Decreases traffic congestion and exhaust fumes at drop-off zones
- Increases the safety of the school zone due to less traffic and more visibility
Consider these options if the distance between home and school is too great:
- Drop off a little further from school to walk the rest of the way
- Walk to the next bus stop before boarding
How does your school measure up in active school travel participation? Take the bike walk roll survey to find out, then start thinking about what you might do to get more students using active transportation.
Northern Health resources
- Injury prevention: Road safety - Northern Health
- School and youth health: Road safety for schools - Northern Health
Provincial and national initiatives
- Active school travel pilot program - BC Healthy Communities
- GoByBike for schools (previously Bike to School Week) - GoByBike BC
- Walk and wheel events - Ontario Active School Travel
Resources for teachers
- Guide to ride (grades 4-6) - Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE)
- Learn2Ride online (ages 9-12) - HUB Cycling
- Streetwise cycling online (ages 13+) - HUB Cycling
School travel planning
- Active school travel - Ontario Active School Travel
- School travel planning toolkit - Ontario Active School Travel