School Streets
School Streets programs are an innovative solution that can help support and encourage active school travel, as they create a car-free environment in front of schools at the start and end of the school day. This improves road safety by prioritizing walking and cycling for children, their caregivers, and teachers. School Streets also help reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality around schools, and support families to play and connect socially.
Benefits of Schools Streets
Increase active travel
Reduce air pollution
Improve Road safety
Support child mobility
Foster social connection
Piloting School Streets
Our Ontario School Streets Pilot (OSSP) has been testing the creation of car-free zones in streets adjacent to schools in four Canadian cities: Hamilton, Markham, Mississauga, and Kingston. The initiative is developing recommendations for the planning, permitting, and implementation of School Streets programs in municipal settings.
The pilot is managed by Green Communities Canada (GCC), working in partnership with 8 80 Cities as an expert technical advisor. Together, we formed a School Streets Community of Practice as part of the OSSP project and have developed training materials and workshops to teach communities how to plan and implement School Streets programs.
Interested in testing School Streets in your community?
Implementing School Streets – Watch and Learn
Watch these videos to learn about how to plan and implement a School Street program.
Ontario School Streets Pilot - Key Findings
Check out the Summary Report to learn more about the findings and recommendations of the Ontario School Streets Pilot.
