Pro-Walk, Pro-Bike, Pro-Place = Pro-HASTe

Just this past September HASTe’s very own Community Programs Manager, Kerry Hamilton got to showcase New Westminster’s School Travel Planning achievements at the North American ProWalk ProBike ProPlace Conference in Long Beach, California.  

Every two years Safe Routes to School USA convenes at a National conference to share their best practices and lessons learned. Lucky for HASTe, we not only got to learn from our neighbours to the South, but also had the opportunity to showcase BC’s very own fantastic programs and initiatives! Check out our poster presentation below and find some fun pictures, links, and information we wanted to share with BC Schools and Active School Travel Champions!

HASTe BC is not alone!
States and Counties across the United States are also engaging in School Travel Planning processes. Here are just some of their creative ideas and lesson’s learned.

• Memphis Tennessee switched funding incentives. Instead of funding more buses they gave their middle schools 2$ per walker and saved!!! See other State Best Practices here.

• Having a problem with graffiti or vandalism around your school? Host a student or classroom competition to design signs deterring vandalism, it engages the student on the issue and has actually shown to prevent future destruction!

• San Diago’s law enforcement officers are giving out walking and cycling promotion cards as a warning instead of giving tickets to parked cars in school zones. Education works!

• See how Chicago has made the way for play by promoting healthy school environments, complete streets and access to parks. 

Ohio is Thinking BIG with School Travel Planning
Instead of 4 to 5 schools engaging in School Travel Planning (STP) each year, Ohio took on the challenge of creating BIG change, engaging 48 Schools in the STP Process in only 1 year!!! Next stop: 98 schools planned for 2013. Check out some of their resources at www.dot.state.oh.us/saferoutes or contact Kerry at kerry@hastebc.org to learn more about how they made this possible!

Stuff Parents Say and What Kids Want
This session offered a very real and honest look at parental risk perceptions and safety concerns around letting their children walk and bike to school. HASTe joined in on the discussion as we shared the barriers, beliefs and benefits and ultimately how together we can inspire a culture change. Check out our HASTe page for Child Safety & Security  and bring these take home points to your Parent Council Advisory group and start discussing some solutions amongst parents in your school today.

Acknowledgments + More Info
A big thank you to Project for Public Spaces for hosting such an inspiring and informative conference. Thank you to Long Beach California for being such a progressive and innovative bike friendly city. To learn more about Safe Routes to School State Network Project Successes & Lessons Learned please view their 2010-2011 Final Report or visit them at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/  Learn more about how Canadian are taking action on School Travel Planning here!

That’s it for ProWalk ProBike ProPlace 2012. As always, please feel free to leave us any comments or questions below. How is your School ProWalk ProBike ProPlace or even better ProHASTe?  ;)