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City of Penticton launches Safe Routes to School initiative at 2 elementary schools

The City of Penticton and two elementary schools are partnering on a Safe Routes to School program with the aim of addressing traffic issues and creating safer routes for children.

A release says city staff and consultants have wrapped up visits to Carmi and Uplands Elementary schools, meetings with parents, students and educators to learn more about popular routes.

City staff are now working with parents and educators to brainstorm opportunities to increase active transportation to and from the schools.

“The purpose of the Safe Routes to School initiative is to improve safety for all road users surrounding each school, while promoting an environment for students to walk, wheel and roll to school wherever possible,” says deputy mayor Helena Konanz.

“By implementing new measures and creating safe routes to travel, the school community will have more confidence to use active modes of transportation, which offers many health benefits and results in fewer cars on the road.”

<who> Photo Credit: NowMedia </who> The city is launching the Safe Routes to School pilot program at Carmi and Uplands Elementary schools.

The city has a goal of extending the program to other schools, however, more engagement with the school community, engineering staff, bylaw and RCMP is necessary.

This work will look at existing traffic patterns, infrastructure and determine opportunities for improvement near the schools.

Kristen Dixon, general manager of infrastructure, says this might include traffic calming, road crossing or new sidewalks and programs like “walking school buses” or bike safety education.

“These plans will be living documents that we can review annually with the schools to determine if the changes are having the desired results, and to reflect any new challenges and opportunities,” Dixon adds.

School District No. 67 board chair James Palanio says the pilot program will be based on feedback from parents and students, which is a “critical component” of the initiative.



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