Municipal planning policies and priorities with regard to school location, land use, and infrastructure can influence children’s choice of travel mode to school. Planning the location of schools near urban density is important to reducing the distance children need to travel to get to school. Policies and priorities supporting the Active School Travel Act improve the health of school-aged children by encouraging them to be more physically active on a daily basis. Key policies and priorities should change the design of streets to provide increased protections for children. Examples include:
- Prioritizing safe crossings, traffic calming, and restricting car access in front of schools except for those with accessibility needs
- Funding cycling and pedestrian education in all schools across Toronto for students in grades 5 and 9, including a skills checklist to share with parents
- Expanding the community safety zone review radius to 3 km (from 1km) around all school zones
- Supporting long term funding for the City’s Active & Safe Routes to School Program as part of the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan
