Vision

66% of our city’s CO2 emissions come from transportation, so we decided that we would find ways to encourage students, and staff, to make it easier to choose active transportation over driving.

Action

We started last year by surveying students about their attitudes and experiences with bussing and cycling. We wanted to know how often, where and why they bussed and cycled. We took the data we gathered and shared it with the city’s transportation department, and they used it to make some improvements to the bus shelters. Hopefully they will continue to use it to improve scheduling and safety (the top two concerns of students). We also learned that a lack of safe end of ride storage was a big reason students and staff don’t cycle to school more. We worked with our metal shop classes to develop and install a new bike rack and a scooter rack. Both of these designs are easily reproduced, so that we can expand our storage as demand grows. We used the BC Active Transportation Design Guide to plan what the racks should look like, and where they should be located. Our school library has also purchased locks that students can use if they forget to bring one, or don’t have one. They will also be buying helmets, and potentially a bike, that students can borrow so that the barriers to cycling are reduced.

Reflection & Celebration

Uptake in cycling, especially, is slow, but it is coming. Last year was the first year our school had a bike rack in over 20 years. As students, and staff, get more comfortable riding and rolling to school, it will grow. Our Outdoor Education classes are enjoying being able to store their bikes when they bring them for class rides. This will definitely help spread the word that there are good places to leave your bike or scooter. This also means that when our elementary feeder schools come to visit for projects, or welcome to grade 8 sessions, they don’t have to bus over – there is a place for them to lock up their bikes and scooters!

Recently, I went for a ride with the Outdoor Ed class, a simple easy ride, and most of the students said how much fun they had, and how stress relieving it was! This is what we want to encourage.