Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. They have quickly become essential responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world. With schools in Ontario undergoing major transformations to provide safe in-class as well as on-line instruction, local active school travel (AST) practitioners have also had to adapt and rise to new challenges.
At Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR), a new “Drive to 5” campaign has been rolled out in response to more parents driving their children to school. “We developed maps to help people find legal parking spaces at a five-minute walking distance from schools. Visual modes of communication like this help people from different linguistic backgrounds who are a part of our community,” says School Travel Planning Supervisor Leslie Maxwell. STSWR also worked with local biking advocacy group CycleWR to promote ASTvia a virtual panel discussion with parents, route planning, and socially-distanced outdoor workshops.
Read the full article “Responding to the ‘new normal’”, click here.