School Travel Planning

School Travel Planning aims to get more families walking and wheeling to/from school by bringing together community stakeholders to identify barriers to active transportation for each school and develop a written action plan. School Travel Plans are based on transportation demand management (TDM) principles and they benefit the schools they are designed for as well as the communities that surround them. With STP, active school travel becomes a realistic choice for a greater number of families, while educating citizens and pooling community resources efficiently.  The STP process highlights the importance of supporting active school travel through the creation of local school district and municipal plans and policies.

School Travel Planning increases daily physical activity, reduces traffic dangers on school routes and in school zones, and decreases local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Through STP curriculum resources, students learn how their individual actions can contribute to, or detract from, the natural environment and even future generations. Students and families involved in STP through active school travel have also been shown to have a higher quality of life and improved well-being.