The Bike to School Project…

The Bike to School Project is pleased to submit our comments on the MTO’s proposed approach to implementing the actions in the Climate Change Action Plan. Our project is a collaborative initiative of CultureLink Settlement and Community Services, Cycle Toronto and the Toronto Cycling Think and Do Tank. Our goal is to enable students, families and educators to discover the personal, social and ecological benefits of cycling for transportation. To this end we provided cycling training programs to over 11,000 Toronto students in 2016.

We also contribute to the Active and Sustainable School Transportation Regional Hub convened by Metrolinx. According to Metrolinx, the proportion of children and youth walking or cycling to school dropped from 46.7% in 1986, to under 37% in 2011. Metrolinx is encouraging regions and municipalities to coordinate efforts to reverse this worrying trend. Our contribution has been in developing resources and promotional campaigns for schools across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, including the annual Bike to School Week campaign. In 2016, over 20,000 students at 301 schools participated in Bike to School Week (May 30-June 3). As part of the registration process, respondents (one adult per school) are asked about barriers to cycling to school. Top barriers were:

•“Heavy traffic on nearby streets” (47% of respondents)
•“Inadequate bike parking near the school” (35% of respondents)
•“Students don’t own bicycles” (35% of respondents)
•“Lack of cycling education” (25% of respondents)

These responses, as well as our practical experience delivering programs, form the basis for the following recommendations:

1.That MTO require municipalities to establish and enforce lower speed limits in school zones through use of photo radar or other tools, and to prioritize traffic calming measures and improved intersection protocols in school zones (such as those referenced in the recently released Guide to Safer Streets Near Schools) in order to be eligible for CCAP funds.

2.That MTO require municipalities to expand cycling networks in a 3km radius around schools, in order to be eligible for CCAP funds.

3.That MTO create a program to provide bike parking facilities to schools via school boards, and make it a requirement that boards adopt a Charter for Active and Sustainable School Travel or similar policy statement in order to qualify for the program. We suggest that a basic standard of 1 parking spot for every 10 students is an appropriate starting point, although some schools require far more to accommodate the students who cycle already.

4.That MTO create a program to support the development and expansion of infrastructure for cycling education, to enable more students to learn and practice the skills needed for riding on streets. Ten Ontario municipalities have built “Safety Villages” and these should be supported. Lower-cost facilities, which we encourage MTO to promote, are “traffic gardens” in parks or other public spaces. These could be used by school programs during the day, and be accessible to local residents outside of school hours. North America’s first traffic garden was installed in Seattle earlier this year: (http://bikeportland.org/2016/10/03/seattles-new-traffic-garden-is-the-p…). Provision of such facilities will lay the groundwork for greatly expanded cycling education and training across the province of Ontario. Moreover, such facilities help to establish cycling as a social norm in communities hosting them.

We look forward to learning the outcome of this consultation and to see increased investment in cycling infrastructure as part of the Climate Change Action Plan.

[Original Comment ID: 203038]