The purpose of this resource is to support the creation of campaigns that bring road safety issues to the attention of decision makers and advocate for improvements that make streets safer for walking and cycling.
Description
Students and their parents/caregivers have extensive knowledge and experience of their neighbourhood streets through their daily school journeys. As a result, they can have an important role in making sure municipal staff and elected officials are aware of local traffic safety and accessibility concerns, and in advocating for improvements. The key steps in safer streets advocacy involve:
- Connecting with others: Find other passionate individuals in the school and the surrounding community. Discuss your concerns about traffic and infrastructure problems affecting walking and cycling, and your vision for the neighbourhood.
- Gathering information: Conducting a Family Travel Survey, a neighbourhood Walkabout, Bikeabout, Traffic Count, and/or Traffic Observation are some of the ways to gather input from the community.
- Advocating for improvements: Engage local elected officials (e.g., municipal councillors, school trustees) in the discussions as early as possible, as they can advise on potential solutions, whether improvements are already planned, and how to request changes. It is best to write to officials and request to meet with them in person or by phone. When requesting improvements, be specific about the locations and problems, but keep an open mind about the types of solutions that might be best suited to address them.
What you will need
- A group of individuals who share an interest in improving street safety
- Tools and materials to gather and present information about local concerns.
Who can help
Teachers, students, parents and caregivers, public health nurses, municipal transportation planning staff, school board staff, elected officials, police or bylaw services, and community support workers.
Toolkits, Templates, and Guides
Use the following toolkits, road safety guides, and educational resources to support your Safer Streets Advocacy Campaign.
Key words
Advocate, advocacy, street, design, traffic calming, traffic, safety, evaluation, engineering, complete streets, infrastructure, community safety.