Safe Routes to School

A ‘Kiss & Go' zone is a short-term stopping area where drivers can park for a short time – no longer than two minutes – while the student exits the vehicle. This keeps a steady flow of vehicles moving. 

These designated ‘Drive to Five’ spots are located five minutes (500 metres) away from the school, where parents can drop off or pick up their kids. This encourages walking for short distances, while helping to reduce congestion near the front of the school. This saves you time and builds student confidence to walk independently.  

Drive to Five planning guide examples: 

• Waterloo Region Drive to Five 
• City of Nanaimo Drive to Five 
• CRD Drive to Five Toolkit

A walking or biking school bus is an organized group of students who walk or ride bikes to and from school together with the support of adult leaders. They travel along a designated route, stopping along the way to pick up or drop off students along the way.  

Walking School Bus Guides:

• How to start a walking school bus at your school 
• WalkingSchoolBus.org 
• How to set up a bike bus

IMPORTANT: The speed limits within Penticton school and playground zones are now 30km/h at all times – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The speed limits within Penticton school and playground zones are now 30km/h at all times – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These changes reflect the fact that school facilities are key community amenities that are often used outside regular school hours, including evenings and weekends. The changes also enable City staff to add traffic calming measures, such as speed humps, which previously wouldn’t have been suitable due to a need to allow for higher speed in the off-hours.

The changes are in response to the City’s ‘Safe Routes to School’ studies, community safety concerns and resident feedback gathered through the Transportation Master Plan engagement process. 

Drive to Five planning guides

• Waterloo Region Drive to Five 
• City of Nanaimo Drive to Five 
• CRD Drive to Five Toolkit

Walking School Bus guides

• How to start a walking school bus at your school 
• WalkingSchoolBus.org 
• How to set up a bike bus

Other Resources

• School Travel Planning
• ParticipACTION Youth and Child Report Card 
• Active Transportation: How are children getting to school? 
• BC Transit - Get Bus Ready 

Download a copy of the map here or view it below. 

Map of Pen High & KVR Elementary 

Download the map here or view it below. 

A ‘Kiss & Go' zone is a short-term stopping area where drivers can park for a short time – no longer than two minutes – while the student exits the vehicle. This keeps a steady flow of vehicles moving. 

Student safety is a priority and an issue we take seriously. The City plans to make safety improvements along the Manitoba corridor, which will include a multi-use path, crosswalks and other traffic safety measures. 

In the meantime, the City will install a temporary crosswalk at Forestbrook and Manitoba to improve safety until the permanent works can be constructed. We are striving to have this crosswalk installed as fast as possible.

Future work will include the following: 

• 30km/hr speed limit along Edmonton Avenue, Nelson Avenue, Edna Avenue and Penticton Avenue (note: this is a dedicated zone on either end when approaching Manitoba Street)
• Installing a raised crosswalk at Forestbrook Drive
• Traffic circle with crosswalks across Manitoba Street and Edmonton Avenue
• Speed humps along Manitoba Street
• Installing a crosswalk at Nelson Avenue
• Curbing at the entrance of Penticton Avenue

See the design plans

Download the map here or view it below. 

Note that a section of Eckhardt Avenue will be closed during construction, with no through access from a stretch of White Avenue. Download the pedestrian access map here or view it below. 

The map below shows the locations for school drop-offs/pickups for Skaha Lake Elementary. Note the best drop-off location for kindergarten to Grade 3 is the Senior's Drop-in Centre parking lot off South Main Street. Caregivers are able to park there and walk their kids to the school if necessary. 

Note the Kiss & Go zones on Green Avenue are designed as temporary stopping locations, for no more than 2 minutes, to quickly drop off or pick up students. 

Download the map here

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Location of New Kiss & Go Zones 

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A ‘Kiss & Go' zone is a short-term stopping area where drivers can park for a short time – no longer than two minutes – while the student exits the vehicle. This keeps a steady flow of vehicles moving. 

Click here to download the brochure and map, or view it below. A map showing the best routes can also be viewed below. 

Best Routes to Access Skaha Lake Elementary on Foot or Wheels 

With the closure of Parkway Elementary, plus the transition of Skaha Middle School to an elementary school, this Safe Routes to School plan identifies the following two goals.

1: Improve safety and accessibility along routes to school
This goal focuses on safety for all modes (walking, cycling, rolling, transit, and driving). Further detail is provided in the action plan. Infrastructure on routes to school should encourage slower vehicle speeds, make active users more visible, and separate modes where appropriate.

2: Facilitate the transition from Parkway Elementary to Skaha Lake Elementary
This goal focuses on ensuring that caregivers and children travelling from the Parkway Elementary area feel confident on their route to school and when crossing major intersections. Actions in the action plan should encourage children and families to continue or start using active modes as an alternative to a vehicle.
 

Here are some of the recommendations made in the report: 

• Implement 'Drive to Five' locations to support improved pick-up, drop-off at school and encourage walking.
• Upgrade the Skaha Lake Road / Green Avenue and mid-block crosswalks to improve pedestrian visibility and reduce crossing distances. 
• Explore sidewalk improvements and traffic calming (specific locations suggested in the report). 
• A 'Walking School Bus' could facilitate group travel to and from the school. 
• Install new bike racks in high-visibility locations.
• Work with teachers to add active and sustainable transportation-related content into regular coursework and lectures. Incorporate BC Transit’s Ready to Roll transit education program into lessons and special events (such as Earth Day or other environmental events).
• Use active and sustainable transportation whenever possible when travelling for school field trips.
• Make regular announcements and mount posters at school encouraging students to walk, bike, and take transit to school and related events to keep active and sustainable transportation top of mind and highlight its benefits.
• Participate in active transportation events and programs including Go By Bike Week.

The full report can be downloaded here. 

This process involved: 

• Meetings with the school administration and parent advisory committee.
• Site visit to better understand transportation challenges and opportunities. 
• Neighbourhood walkabout to explore well-used routes and brainstorm opportunities. Attendees included the project team, school administration, caregivers and students. 
• Survey of school community to better understand travel modes, behaviours and concerns.
• ‘Hands up’ surveys in classrooms and student visioning workshops.
• Safe Routes to School Plan prepared. 
• Brochure & map of best routes to school (coming soon).

Download the brochure here or click to view it below.

Download the Uplands Elementary Map 

The following suggestions are pulled from the Safe Routes to School report. You can read the full study here. 

Here are some of the opportunities and recommendations (review the report for the full list):

• Implement Drive to Five+ locations to support improved pick-up, drop-off at school and encourage walking. This will help reduce congestion near the school frontage during pick-up and drop-off times.
• Organize Walking School Bus groups to facilitate group travel for students walking and cycling along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.
• Work with teachers to add active and sustainable transportation-related content into regular coursework and lectures. Incorporate BC Transit’s Ready to Roll transit education program into lessons and special events (such as Earth Day or other environmental events).
• Use active and sustainable transportation whenever possible when travelling for school field trips.
• Make regular announcements and mount posters at school encouraging students to walk, bike, and take transit to school and related events to keep active and sustainable transportation top of mind and highlight its benefits.
• Participate in active transportation events and programs including Go By Bike Week.
• Pathway improvements, new sidewalk installations, traffic calming throughout the area and the option of adding centre median posts on Middle Bench Road to prevent U-turns.
• Conduct intersection and pedestrian crossing improvements near the school. Review side streets along Best Routes to Uplands Elementary and implement traffic calming, which could include stop signs at all intersections, curb extensions, leading pedestrian interval at major intersections, turn restrictions and speed reductions.
• Explore changes to school parking lot. 
• Install centre median flex posts on Middle Bench Road to prevent U-turns. 
• Review opportunity to reduce speed limit permanently to 30km/hr along major corridors in proximity to the school (Middle Bench Road and Johnson Road).
• Explore the feasibility of installing a sidewalk on the north side of Johnson Street. 
• Work with RCMP to enforce speeds and other road safety concerns in the school area.
• Explore feasibility of filling in sidewalk gaps on Westminster Avenue from Townley Street to MacDonald Street.

This process involved: 

• Meetings with the school administration and parent advisory committee.
• Site visit to better understand transportation challenges and opportunities. 
• Neighbourhood walkabout to explore well-used routes and brainstorm opportunities. Attendees included the project team, school administration, caregivers and students. 
• Survey of school community to better understand travel modes, behaviours and concerns.
• ‘Hands up’ surveys in classrooms and student visioning workshops.
• Safe Routes to School Plan prepared. 
• Brochure & map of best routes to school

Progress Made

Construction began in July 2024 along Middle Bench Road to install new sidewalks, raised crosswalks and other safety measures outside Uplands Elementary school. 

The City committed roughly $300k to complete the sidewalk network on Middle Bench Road adjacent to the school frontage as part of the 2024 budget. The safety improvements included installing sidewalks on both sides of the road, raised crosswalks and curbs. In addition, the City added storm infrastructure to prevent future flooding. 

Other infrastructure action items include addressing sidewalk gaps along Westminster Ave E (a key route), addressing u-turning in front of the school, adding more road markings and signage, and working with the SD 67 to formalize access through the back of the school property.  

The full action plan can be found on Page 23 of the Uplands Plan, and staff will continue to work collaboratively with the school administration and the community to implement these actions.  

Download the map here or view it below. 

What's a Kiss & Go? 

A ‘Kiss & Go' zone is a short-term stopping area where drivers can park for a short time – no longer than two minutes – while the student exits the vehicle. This keeps a steady flow of vehicles moving. 

Click here to download the brochure, or view it below. 

Here are some of the recommendations made in the report: 

• Formalize 'Drive to Five' locations to support improved pick-up, drop-off at school and encourage walking.
• Consider extending the 30km/h speed zone to include all roads around the school area (Columbia Street, Lawrence Avenue, and Duncan Avenue) with appropriate enforcement and traffic calming measures to support lower vehicle speeds. Consideration for the broader neighbourhood should also be considered.
• Explore feasibility to reduce vehicle speeds along the corridor and improve the pedestrian crossing experience. Potential solutions could include raised crosswalks and/or curb extensions at desired crossing points.
• Install new bike racks in high-visibility locations.
• Explore sidewalk improvements and traffic calming (specific locations suggested in the report). 
• Improve visiblity and awareness of pedestrian crosswalks. 
• Promote Kiss 'n' Go locations. 
• Work with teachers to add active and sustainable transportation-related content into regular coursework and lectures. Incorporate BC Transit’s Ready to Roll transit education program into lessons and special events (such as Earth Day or other environmental events).
• Use active and sustainable transportation whenever possible when travelling for school field trips.
• Make regular announcements and mount posters at school encouraging students to walk, bike, and take transit to school and related events to keep active and sustainable transportation top of mind and highlight its benefits.
• Participate in active transportation events and programs including Go By Bike Week.
   

The full report can be downloaded here. 

This process involved: 

• Meetings with the school administration and parent advisory committee.
• Site visit to better understand transportation challenges and opportunities. 
• Neighbourhood walkabout to explore well-used routes and brainstorm opportunities. Attendees included the project team, school administration, caregivers and students. 
• Survey of school community to better understand travel modes, behaviours and concerns.
• ‘Hands up’ surveys in classrooms and student visioning workshops.
• Safe Routes to School Plan prepared. 
• Brochure & map of best routes to school (coming soon).

To create safe and healthy modes of active transportation

In 2021, the City of Penticton adopted a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) that seeks to create and manage a safe transportation system that supports all ages, abilities and modes of transportation. A key goal identified in the TMP is to ensure residents and workers throughout Penticton have the opportunity to walk to parks, schools, shopping, jobs and other destinations in safety and comfort. 

To work toward our climate goals

Converting vehicle trips to active trips is a key goal in the Community Climate Action Plan, which notes that 54% of our community emissions are created by vehicles. In addition to electrification, in order to achieve the targets in the Community Climate Action Plan relating to vehicle emissions, the City is striving to reduce vehicle kilometres travelled by 13%. The City plans to do this by:

•    Eliminating approximately a quarter of the kilometers travelled by better land use planning (locating housing close to services/commercial)
•    Converting almost half of the kilometers travelled to active transportation (biking, walking, scooters etc)
•    Converting the remaining quarter to transit trips 
The Safe Routes to School Program is designed to support students and their families to walk, bike or roll to and from school, which is in direct alignment with the Community Climate Action Plan goals.  

To meet our strategic priorities

The Safe Routes to School program meets the following City Council strategic priorities. 

Safe & Resilient: The City of Penticton will enhance and protect the safety of all residents and visitors to Penticton.
Livable & Accessible: The City of Penticton will proactively plan for deliberate growth; focused on an inclusive, healthy, safe and desirable place to live.

Background

In 2023, the City of Penticton partnered with Carmi Elementary and Uplands Elementary on a pilot project to help identify safe routes to school using active transportation. Through public engagement and based on best practices, the plan supports safe and comfortable environments for students to walk, wheel and roll to school wherever possible.

The plans are living documents that will be reviewed annually by the City with the schools and will be used to develop an action and management plan for infrastructure upgrades identified through this process.

Following the successful pilot, the City has been rolling out studies to two schools each year. 

What the Study Involves 

Each school plan will be unique to the school, particularly when it comes to the infrastructure changes that are necessary in each area to support it.  However, there are elements and key outcomes that will be replicated for all plans, including:

Developing a brochure to provide to the school that outlines the “safe routes” and highlights infrastructure available to support those routes (ex. crosswalks, sidewalks, trails, etc).  

Introducing “Drive to Five” areas.  These are areas that provide additional opportunities for parents to park and walk/drop-off children within a five-minute walk/ride to the school to reduce congestion in and around the schools as well as the added physical benefits.  

Introducing a “Walking School Bus” or “Bike Bus.” 

And more!

HEALTH: Staying active is good for your child’s physical and mental health.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Spending time together outside promotes positive connections with friends and family.

SMART MOVES: Students who walk or roll to school arrive more alert and ready to learn.

ENVIRONMENT: Reducing the number of car trips decreases greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion and parking problems.

INDEPENDENCE: Active travel builds confidence.

The Safe Routes to School Plan will be a joint effort to implement infrastructure, programs and educational materials. An action plan will be included in the Safe Routes to School Plan that identifies responsibilities for action by various stakeholders including the City of Penticton, the School District, school administration and the Parent Advisory Committee. 

• March 28, 2025: City eyes two more schools as it expands its Safe Routes to School program
• Oct. 7, 2024: City working to create safer routes to schools
• Aug. 15, 2024: Watch for traffic changes around schools and playgrounds
• July 3, 2024: New sidewalks and crosswalks being installed outside Uplands Elementary
• May 22, 2024: City takes steps to improve safety around schools and playgrounds
• May 2024: Carmi Elementary Safe Routes to School report 
• May 2024: Uplands Elementary Safe Routes to School report
• May 29, 2023: City launches pilot project to create safer routes to schools
• Details about the engagement process (now closed) can be found at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca
• Safe Routes to School background fact sheet

The following suggestions are pulled from the Carmi Elementary Safe Routes to School report. You can read the full study here. Many of these findings have been incorporated into the KVR Elementary School Safe Routes Plan. 

Here are some of the recommendations made in the report: 

• Implement Drive to Five locations to support improved pick-up, drop-off at school and encourage walking.
• Review side streets along Best Routes to Uplands Elementary and implement traffic calming, which could include stop signs at all intersections, curb extensions, leading pedestrian interval at major intersections, turn restrictions and speed reductions.
• Install new bike racks that have better security features in high visibility locations.
• Explore feasibility to reduce vehicle use and speeds 
  along Manitoba Street corridor and support active transportation facilities, including bikeways and improved sidewalk facilities.
• Organize Walking School Bus groups to facilitate group travel from Drive to Five Locations to Carmi Elementary.
• Work with teachers to add active and sustainable transportation-related content into regular coursework and lectures. Incorporate BC Transit’s Ready to Roll transit education program into lessons and special events (such as Earth Day or other environmental events).
• Use active and sustainable transportation whenever possible when travelling for school field trips.
• Make regular announcements and mount posters at school encouraging students to walk, bike, and take transit to school and related events to keep active and sustainable transportation top of mind and highlight its benefits.
• Participate in active transportation events and programs including Go By Bike Week.

Read the full list of suggestions

Contact the City's Engineering department at engineering@penticton.ca