No cars dropping off or picking up kids? Why there's a push to clear the street in front of schools | CBC News

Scientists say car-free zones boost safety but making them last has been challenging

As Lily Dejnicki prepares to get back to the classroom, she hopes to see fewer cars during the morning and afternoon rush hours outside her school.

The 13-year-old would like to see the return of a pilot project to get cars out of the regular dropoff zone at her school, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Elementary in Mississauga, Ont.

As part of the School Streets project promoted by a non-profit environmental association, volunteers directed cars away during dropoff and pickup times by using barricades and signs. Kids and parents were encouraged to cycle and walk to and from school, as opposed to driving.

"Kids … wouldn't rush home," she said. "Instead, they would … take a couple minutes to play and stuff outside."

Anita Dejnicki, Lily’s mom, sits on the school’s parental advisory council and said more parents were talking to each other and more kids were active and playing compared to before.

As the school year starts, environmental association Green Communities Canada is continuing its efforts to implement School Streets across the country.

The pilot at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Elementary, which ran for a month, is part of a bigger push led by the organization called the National Active School Streets Initiative. It received $3 million in funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2024.

At least 20 School Streets are planned for the 2026-2027 academic year. Over the past few years, they have been piloted in six provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Nicole Roach, sustainable mobility director at Green Communities Canada, said School Streets usually take the form of a temporary barrier installed on both ends of one street next to a school.

The street is typically one that is not on a major thoroughfare or one that is going to cause issues for buses or students with disabilities, she said.

For those who need to drive, one alternative is to drive to a nearby parking area and walk together the rest of the way, Roach said.