Safe and Active Schools Program
See how we're encouraging students to walk and cycle more to school in Surrey.
Walking, biking, scooting – active travel to school is healthy and fun!
Bringing together outreach, education, training and infrastructure upgrades, our Safe and Active School Program promotes active travel, helps families overcome barriers to participation, and improves road safety around Surrey’s 101 elementary schools. Active trips include walking, cycling, scooting and skateboarding – all forms of person-powered transportation.
The program is about making the daily trip to school safe and active. The City invests around $4.5 million each year on walking and cycling to school infrastructure.
What Makes up the Safe and Active School Program?
- School Traffic Safety and Operational Reviews: Surrey's Safe and Active School Program began in 2009 with traffic safety and operational reviews of all 150 schools in Surrey. We’ve been working on fixing trouble spots ever since.
- New and Improved Infrastructure: More than 600 engineering upgrades to improve safety and make it more attractive to walk and roll to school have been made since 2010. Highlights include more than 200 pedestrian crossings, 40 sidewalks and pathways, 240 signs, and 70 traffic calming measures.
- School Travel Planning: Every year the City and our program facilitators work with interested elementary schools to customize more ways to encourage active travel. Interested? Ask your school to sign up by May or June to take part the following year. Find completed plans for your school under our School Travel Planning webpage.
- Safe Routes to Schools: We undertake parking reviews for every elementary school in Surrey. Working with school administration, we look for parking-related safety issues and ways to reduce pick-up/drop-off congestion, both on the school site and on adjacent roads. Find completed plans for your school under our School Travel Planning webpage.
- Bike Training: The City sponsors cycling skills and safety training at all public elementary schools. More than 16,000 Surrey students have received this training so far.
- Events: Public awareness campaigns and special events, like the annual Walk & Roll to School Contest, help promote safe and active travel to school.
Active travel offers many benefits for students, the community, and the environment, including:
Healthier Kids: The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends children get at least one hour of physical activity a day. A 15-minute one-way trip to school helps kids meet half that goal.
Safer, More Connected Communities: Active travel is a chance to meet your neighbours, make new friends and socialize on the way to school.
Reduced Traffic Congestion: With about 20% of daily vehicle trips going to and from school, not only are you reducing congestion in front of schools but on all of Surrey’s road.
Alert Learners: Studies have shown that active travellers arrive at school happier, more ready to learn and have better concentration in class.
Less Air Pollution: Transportation emissions from personal vehicles are the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Surrey. Fewer cars trips means cleaner air, which benefits everyone.
Healthy Travel Habits for an Active Lifestyle: Teaching children the value of walking and cycling safely builds confidence, promotes independence and teaches lifelong skills.
Partners & Resources
- Hub for Active School Travel
- HUB - Your Cycling Connection
- ICBC Road Safety
- Walking School Bus
- Surrey Schools
- Surrey RCMP
- Vision Zero Surrey
Contact email@example.com or 604-591-4853 for more information about our Safe and Active Schools Program.