Parents pick up their children from a school on a School Street

School Streets

What you need to know

School Street barrier sign A School Street is a car-free block beside a school open to walking, biking, and rolling.

No motor vehicles are permitted to enter or exit the block when the School Street is in effect but parked vehicles may remain.

The School Streets Program aims to:

Improve safety for students arriving and leaving school
Increase active travel and transit for school trips
Foster community connections within the neighbourhood and school community

Program impact

Encouraging active travel to school is part of our Climate Emergency Action Plan. Twelve schools have participated in the School Streets Program since 2021.

2024 program highlights:

24% of families reported walking more
34% of families reported biking more
Almost 200 families tried walking, biking, or rolling for the first time
97% of elementary students reported the street felt safer
78% of parents and 99% of students want the School Street to continue

Review the 2024 School Streets Program report (3 MB)

Learn more about the program

Participating schools
2025 to 2026 school year

Lord Selkirk Elementary
- Dates: All school days from September 3, 2025, to June 25, 2026
- Location: E 22nd Avenue between Welwyn and Commercial streets
- Time: 8:40am to 9:10am and 2:45pm to 3:30pm
Review Lord Selkirk School Streets map (244 KB)

Gordon Elementary
- 2025 to 2026 school year: Every Tuesday from September 16, 2025, to June 23, 2026
- Spring dates: May 19, 2026, to June 12, 2026, all school days
- Location: Bayswater Street between W 6th and W 7th avenues
- Time: 8:40am to 9:10am and 2:45pm to 3:30pm
Review Gordon School Streets map (Tuesdays only) (288 KB)

Additional schools will participate in spring 2026. Check back in the spring for more details.

2024 to 2025 school year
- Edith Cavell Elementary (2 weeks)
- L’Ecole Bilingue (2 weeks)
- Gordon Elementary (5 weeks)
- Strathcona Elementary (3 weeks)
- Selkirk Elementary (school year every Friday, spring 4 weeks)
2023 to 2024 school year
- L’Ecole Bilingue (4 weeks)
- Gordon Elementary (4 weeks)
- Strathcona Elementary (4 weeks)
- Selkirk Elementary (6 weeks)
2022 to 2023 school year
- L’Ecole Bilingue Elementary (4 weeks)
- Lord Nelson Elementary (4 weeks)
- Lord Roberts Elementary (school year)
- Lord Selkirk Elementary (4 weeks)
- Lord Strathcona Elementary (4 weeks)
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary (4 weeks)
- Sir Winston Churchill Secondary (4 weeks)
2021 to 2022 school year
- Ecole Jules Quesnel (4 weeks)
- Hastings Elementary (4 weeks)
- Kerrisdale Annex (4 weeks)
- Lord Nelson Elementary (4 weeks)
- Lord Roberts Elementary (school year)
2021 pilot
- Hastings Elementary (4 weeks)
- Lord Roberts Elementary (4 weeks)
- Van Horne Elementary (4 weeks)
Play Streets

Since 2022, we have collaborated with the Society for Children and Youth of BC (SCY) to offer Play Streets at select School Street locations.

Play Streets involve play activation through simple programming and resources. They are designed to encourage safe active outdoor play for children and families, and to promote community connection. We invite all school families and local neighbours to join in the fun.
Accessibility

All other blocks around the schools apart from the School Street remain accessible by motor vehicle, if needed.

To minimize impacts on residents we are prioritizing streets without driveways and where residents have alternative access to their homes through alleys. Where accessible parking spaces and entrances are impacted by the School Street, additional accessible parking space will be designated.

We encourage people with any accessibility concerns to email schoolstreets@vancouver.ca.
Volunteer opportunities
Participating schools are looking for volunteers to make this program a success. Volunteer shifts are 45 to 90 minutes long and involve setting up, monitoring, and taking down the School Street barriers to maintain safety on the street.
- Morning and afternoon shifts are available during drop-off and pick-up times.
- Volunteers can sign up for as many shifts as they want.
- The number of volunteer opportunities varies based on the school's participation in the School Streets Program (days and weeks).
- Training will be provided.
If you are interested in volunteering, email schoolstreets@vancouver.ca and include the name of the school where you'd like to volunteer. The volunteer coordinator will contact you with next steps.
Notification and feedback

We notify residents and businesses near School Streets in advance, providing details on how to submit feedback or ask questions. Surveys are sent to residents, parents, and school staff to better understand impacts and gather input.

In addition, we host pop-up engagements on site to gather student feedback about the program.

Email schoolstreets@vancouver.ca and let us know what you think about the program.
Bring School Streets to your school
Previous program impacts
School Streets program resources
- Capital Regional District and 8 80 Cities School Streets Guidebook (3.8 MB)
  - Explains what School Streets are and provides case studies and a step-by-step outline of School Streets planning
- School Streets to shape child-friendly cities (2.2 MB)
  - Collects evidence of the benefits of School Streets to improve community wellbeing from interventions in Europe and around the world.
- School Streets: Putting children and the planet first (20 MB)
  - A political and economic analysis of the impacts of the rise of School Streets in Europe and around the world
National Active School Streets Initiative
We are participating as a “Level-Up” community in the National Active School Streets Initiative (NASSI), led by Green Communities Canada and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

This Canada-wide project will:
- Implement 30 plus School Streets initiatives across 6 provinces
- Be evaluated by a research team co-led by Dr. Mariana Brussoni at the University of British Columbia
Pilot program

From 2025 to 2027, 2 local schools will pilot year-round School Streets models.

Lord Selkirk Elementary has been confirmed as the first school to participate and will be running School Streets daily during pick-up and drop-off from September 2025 to June 2026.

The pilot project will be delivered by paid staff under the management of the Society for Children and Youth of BC. Additional program details can be found in the “Participating schools” section on this page.

Selection process

The selection process for the second school will occur in the fall of 2025, with program implementation planned for the following school year. Priority will be given to schools that serve equity-seeking communities.

Review Green Communities Canada for additional information about the NASSI project.
Comox year-round School Street

We were exploring the idea of a year-round School Street on a single block of Comox Street, between Cardero and Bidwell streets.

In spring 2023, we engaged West End residents and the Lord Roberts Elementary School community about the proposal. We collected feedback from 749 people.

We heard support for safe active travel options. We also heard concerns about impacts on accessibility, parking, sanitation, and safety.

The information collected has helped us explore different design options. In the summer of 2024, we installed a 2-way temporary bike lane along the 1600-block of Comox Street, between Cardero and Bidwell streets.

The goal is to keep vehicle and parking access, along with having a dedicated bike lane for active transportation. This design will be piloted and monitored for 2 years and if successful, we may keep it.

Learn more about this project
Lord Selkirk year-round School Street

Lord Selkirk Elementary School has been part of the School Streets Program since 2023.

The school community has responded positively to the school’s ongoing and expanding participation in the program, leading to the consideration of a year-round School Street that would operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The year-round School Street would span 1 block on E 22nd Avenue between Welwyn and Commercial streets, the same block as current Lord Selkirk School Street programs. It would rely on quick-build materials to create a car-free or car-light area that is always in effect.

As part of this effort, we're considering design approaches for a car-free or car-light year-round School Street that would be in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each approach has benefits and trade-offs for public space, vehicle access, parking, and improved road safety.

We're currently in phase 1 of engagement for this project.

Learn more about Lord Selkirk year-round School Street

Contact us

Email: schoolstreets@vancouver.ca

Related projects

Slow Streets

Slow Streets are routes for walking, cycling, and rolling that make it easier to exercise and access businesses in your local neighbourhood.

School Streets

What you need to know

Program impact

Learn more about the program

Participating schools

Play Streets

Accessibility

Volunteer opportunities

Notification and feedback

Bring School Streets to your school

Previous program impacts

School Streets program resources

National Active School Streets Initiative

Comox year-round School Street

Lord Selkirk year-round School Street

Contact us

Related projects

Slow Streets

Contact information, partner agencies, and website policies