Walk Zone
Our School Travel Planning team addresses barriers to active travel to make walking and wheeling an easier choice for families.
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Our School Travel Planning team addresses barriers to active travel to make walking and wheeling an easier choice for families.
View all resources Read FAQsWalking and wheeling is fun, boosts classroom focus, supports healthy habits, and makes mornings more enjoyable for the whole family.
Children who walk or wheel to school regularly enjoy improved cardiovascular health, grow strength and endurance, and learn new skills. Participaction’s daily physical activity guidelines for children aged 5-17 include several hours of a variety of light physical activities including walking. It supports mental health too!
Students who get physical activity in the morning arrive at school more alert and ready to learn – and studies show they score higher on tests. Studies by Active Living Research show that physically active kids have increased brain activity and improved test scores as well as grades.
Up to 25% of the morning rush hour traffic is attributed to the school commute. Reducing the number of vehicles at schools improves air quality and lowers the risk of lung and cardiovascular diseases. Children are particularly vulnerable, experiencing negative impacts at lower levels of exposure than adults. See: Every Breath We Take: The Lifelong Impact of Air Pollution
Those who walk and wheel regularly enjoy a deeper connection to their community and find joy in nature and people along the way; all of which lead to less stress and lower rates of depression.
The walk to school provides a great opportunity for students to gradually know their community and take incrementally greater responsibility for themselves and younger children.
The aim of the Drive to 5 campaign is to move traffic from the school vicinity through identifying street parking that is a 5 minute walk to the school. Through maps and signage, parents can easily navigate alternate areas to drop off their children while reducing unsafe car traffic in front of the school.
Encourage your children to engage more fully with their outdoor environments in a variety of weather conditions. When children are supported to take risks, they have more fun and learn how to assess and manage risk in all areas of their lives.
Active school travel fosters healthy habits, reduces traffic congestion near schools, minimizes environmental impacts, and increases academic performance.
This report reflects the collective efforts of students, parents, schools, municipalities and school boards to create greater use of active school travel together through School Travel Planning (STP).
School Travel Planning (STP) brings people together to create better school travel options. STP aims to reduce traffic at schools and to make walking and wheeling an easier choice for families. STP Planners bring municipal, school, and community stakeholders together to identify and resolve the issues that make walking and wheeling difficult.
Winter Walk Day – Feb 4 2026 Winter Walk Day celebrates students…
School Travel Planning solutions aim to create better environments for children’s active…
The school commute impacted by both school board and municipal policies and…
Vision School Travel Planning strives to make Waterloo Region a place where…
ParticipAction recommends that children aged 5-17 get 60 minutes of moderate to…
Pick-up and drop-off periods around schools are busy times with students walking,…
It sounds funny, but kids need coaching when it comes to walking…
Jane Jacobs Jane Jacobs watched things closely from the time she was…
STSWR’s School Travel Planning team provides a kit that contains everything you need to start your own Walking School Bus, and we’ll help develop a safe route and be here for you as you get started. Find information here or reach out to stp@stswr.ca or 519-744-7575.
STSWR’s School Travel Planning team offers a Bike Bus Guide with step-by-step directions, tips, and tricks for making your bike bus a raving success. Find information here or reach out to stp@stswr.ca or 519-744-7575.
Trailblazers are older students who form a network of walking ambassadors at the school. This leadership role brings visibility to students who walk and encourages organic walking groups. Find out more here.
School Travel Planning works with the community to identify the barriers that prevent families from choosing to walk or wheel for the school journey, and takes action towards solutions that prevent or solve those barriers. Reach out today for more information about how we can help your school at stp@stswr.ca or 519-744-7575.
That’s great news! And we have identified and built some great resources for you here and here. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, reach out today and we will build it or find it for you. stp@stswr.ca or 519-744-7575.
Need assistance with your child’s transportation experience? We’re here to help!
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