How to walk, bike or roll to school safely

Tips for riding a bike or scooter safely to school:

• Wear a helmet that meets safety standards. Make sure it fits properly and there are no signs of wear.
• Know and follow the rules of the road.
• Ride at a safe speed and in designated areas such as protected bike lanes or routes, or on quiet streets. Try to stay at least one metre away from parked cars so you don’t get “doored.” If you’re a less experienced rider, start off slow and in areas where there’s little traffic.
• Be visible by wearing reflectors and bright clothing.
• Avoid using headphones so can you stay alert.
• Ensure your bike or scooter is equipped with added safety features, including a bell, lights and reflectors.
• Always get off your scooter or bike and walk through a crosswalk.
• Don’t carry passengers (no “doubling”).

Safety Tips for Cyclists (GoByBike BC)

Tips for walking safely to school:

• Walk with friends if possible. There’s safety in numbers.
• Cross at intersections only. Look both ways and try to make eye contact with the driver.
• Don’t cut in between cars or in the middle of the block.
• Don’t text and walk, or listen to music so loudly you can’t hear traffic.

E-bikes and e-scooters are clean modes of transportation and can be great alternatives to driving a car. You don’t need a licence to ride an e-bike or e-scooter, but you must be at least 16 years old. As of April 2024, 14 and 15-year-olds can ride “light” e-bikes.           

There are rules and safety tips unique to riding e-bikes and e-scooters:

E-bike rules of the road (BC Government)

Operating your electric kick scooter safely: know the rules (BC Government)

"We can all play a role in making our school zones safe,” says Kelly MacDonald, a community health facilitator at IH who supported the Safer School Streets Pilot in Kamloops. Her Healthy Community Development team works alongside partners like local governments, Indigenous communities and other community partners to develop healthy built environments that support people to engage in healthy behaviours, like walking and biking.

Related Stories@IH: Making cycling safer and more accessible for all

“Using an active way to get to school helps kids meet their daily physical activity requirements. At the same time, we need to make sure it’s fun, easy and safe,” Kelly adds. "Initiatives like the City of Penticton’s Safe Route to Schools and the Regional District of Central Okanagan Safe routes 4 schools are great examples.”

Here are some ideas schools and cities can use to create safe routes to school:

• A “Drive to 5” location – Located about 500 m away from the school, parent drivers can drop off their kids and they walk the last five minutes to school
• Walking school bus
• Biking school bus

City of Penticton Safe Routes to School 

In 2023, the City of Penticton launched the Safe Routes to School initiative. The purpose of the program is to create safe environments for students to walk, wheel or roll to school.

Perhaps the most significant change is the school and playground zones speed limit will be 30 km/hr 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The change recognizes that schools and playgrounds are gathering places not just during school hours.

City of Kamloops Safer School Streets

Dr. Trent Smith is pediatric medical director for the Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth Network for Interior Health. Inspired by a program in Vancouver, he worked with School District 73 and City of Kamloops staff to pilot a Safer School Streets program in the community in 2023.

Together, the partners developed a plan to close streets to vehicles around Arthur Hatton Elementary for two weeks. The closure gave students a chance to walk, bike or roll to school safely, and to play in the closed-off area.

“Convenience, weather, distance and safety often influence how families decide how their kids get to school,” says Dr. Smith. “Health isn’t always part of that decision. But more and more evidence suggests that getting daily physical activity by walking, biking or rolling is beneficial for a child’s physical, mental and emotional health.

“Regular outdoor activity before and after school also helps children focus, boosts mood and improves self-regulation,” he adds. “Walking, biking or rolling also promotes positive connections with friends and family, and builds confidence, which strengthens emotional well-being.”

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