How would you encourage Calgary’s children (and their parents) to choose active modes of transportation for travel to and from school?

I believe education is key when encouraging children (and their parents) to choose active modes of travel to and from school. So many times, parents choose to drive their children because of time constraints, safety issues or other concerns. If we can show reasonable alternatives that work well for families (such as the walking schoolbus), then I think many would consider more active options. To do this, we need to work with schools and school councils to bring initiatives such as these into the community.

How would you work with parents and the City to provide safe routes to walk and bike to Calgary’s schools, including traffic safety measures in the vicinity of the schools themselves?

Communication is vital when working with parents and the City (and Community Associations!) to provide safe routes to school. We need to work with schools on an individual basis to understand what the traffic safety concerns are and then work together to address the needs of each school in each community. For some, the concern is the number of busses arriving in front of the school. For other schools, the concern is in crosswalks or with school zone/playground zone around the school. A “one size fits all” solution doesn’t always work. If we can take the time to understand what each school needs and listen to what has worked in other areas with similar concerns, then we can begin the process of bringing forward solutions that work for each school.