It’s -8 C on Winter Walk Day at Mitchell Woods Public School. The traffic is noticeably low, the students appear active and police along with members of the local organizing committee stand around the neighbourhood to moderate school safety.
The day, introduced by the organization Ontario Active School Travel, is celebrated by schools across Ontario on the first Wednesday of February each year to encourage active travel whether it is by foot or on wheels where the student is cycling, rollerblading or scootering to school.
However, at Mitchell Woods Public School, the benefits with active travel aren't just limited to exercise for the children, they also help mitigate severe traffic congestion in front of the school.
Principal Mair Gault says the committee has done a lot of research to try to come up with ideas to mitigate the traffic in front of the building in the mornings and after school.
“The answer to the unsafe traffic in front of our school is to get students to walk,” says Gault.
She says in a school where a majority of students live within walking distance, approximately 80 per cent are dropped off to school in the mornings, and given the location of the school, it is posing to be a real problem.
Wednesday was a pilot project for the school to encourage students to walk to school in the winter and it saw 130 students walking, which is higher than usual. However, Ontario Active School Travel encourages walk to school days throughout the year.
“Right now we’re just trying to get more awareness for walking in the winter because some people don’t necessarily like walking in the cold,” says school travel coordinator Diana Sabti from the Wellington-Dufferin Student Transportation Services
“I think more parents find it more convenient to drive their kids to school when it gets a little bit colder but i think generally kids like to walk to school.”
Mitchell Woods shares maps on their website that point to designated areas — five minutes and 10 minutes away from the school — where parents can park and walk the students.
This way, Gault says parents can still drop their children and can still walk their kids a few minutes away from school for them the get exercise in the morning.
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction ... There are so many benefits from walking to school.”
In simple words, she says being physically active makes your brain work better.
“It’s invigorating. It starts your day off right,” says Gault.
Members of the school committee also give the students a yellow ticket if they see them walking to school. The ticket enters them in a monthly draw to win prizes.
“They're excited and happy to be outside. They're excited about the prizes we’re giving out and we're hoping it will continue,” says parent council member Amanda Dawson.
