A School Travel Plan for Casorso Elementary School is complete.

In 2020, the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO), in coordination with the City of Kelowna, started the implementation of the Clean Air and Safe Routes 4 Schools program at Casorso Elementary School. The Clean Air and Safe Routes 4 Schools program uses the “School Travel Plan (STP)” toolkit created by Green Communities Canada in combination with the “Cleaner Air 4 Schools” toolkit developed by the City of London, England.

The development of the School Travel Plan combined with the implementation of school programming has shown to reduce vehicle traffic and increase the number of students using active transportation. The Regional Air Quality Coordinator facilitated the development of the plan and coordinated the Municipal Steering Committee. This Committee was made up of numerous stakeholders who assisted in the planning process, including other City of Kelowna departments, Interior Health, RCMP and School District 23. A school committee was also formed with school representatives and parents.

By engaging various partners, the program created a greater sense of community, added broader implications for schools and neighborhoods in adopting active transportation habits and, improved air quality.

The 6 objectives for Casorso Elementary are:

1. Improve the safety of children on the active school journey.

2. Raise the awareness of the environmental and health benefits of active travel

3. To encourage more students to walk to school

4. To facilitate safe bicycling to and from school

5. Reducing emissions from school buildings

6. To monitor effectiveness of initiative and revise School Travel Plan annually