305B: School traffic decongestants: Insights from the implementation and evaluation of Ontario’s first full-year School Street initiative

September 21, 2022

3:00PM - 3:15PM

A Lightning Talk

Street rebalancing initiatives, many of which emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, challenge dominant views regarding how and for whom this vast public space should be used. “Play Streets” and “School Streets” are particularly disruptive because they centre the needs and desires of children to play and be independently mobile in their communities. School Streets (SSs) typically involve closing streets adjacent to elementary schools to through-traffic at the beginning and end of the school day. SSs have been tested by a handful of Canadian communities, and given the ubiquity of vehicular congestion around school sites, this list is growing.

In the 2021-2022 school year, the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation implemented a year-long SS initiative in Kingston as part of a community-university partnership called “Levelling the Playing Fields.” Kingston’s SS was novel as most SSs in Canada have run for brief periods of time, and few have been thoroughly evaluated. This presentation will share insights from the implementation and outcomes of the initiative.

As of April 2022, Kingston’s SS initiative was ongoing, and by August 2022, the evaluation team will have completed surveys, observations, and interviews. Preliminary findings suggest that initiative champions and a deep base of committed volunteers are essential for the successful launch and sustainability of an extended SS. Overcoming opposition to SSs requires ongoing engagement with diverse stakeholders, clear communication and conflict management strategies. School community members have adapted well to, and appear content with, the new regime. Reactions from residents have been more mixed, with some highly appreciative of the calm outside their home, while others feel intense anger about the constraints they face as a motorist when accessing their dwelling. The presentation will elaborate on these insights and share emergent ones, before presenting recommendations for other brave communities looking to challenge the status quo.
 

Speakers