iWalk 2012
International Walk to School Week (iWalk) – the annual time for young people to discover how to get around on foot or on transit – returns October 8-12, 2012. During that time, children from kindergarten through Grade 12 will be able to ride free on transit (the free rides are available only to kindergarten and elementary school children and high school students with a valid GoCard).
For parents and teachers, iWalk is a great opportunity to discuss and facilitate opportunities for kids to try out different forms of transportation options
In past years, schools have taken advantage of iWalk’s free transit to take students on field trips. But it’s important to remember that TransLink provides over 1.2 million trips each day, so we would ask teachers to consider some helpful tips:
- It's all about timing: go during “off-peak” hours – between 9:30am and 2:30pm
- Do your homework: Use TransLink’s online resources including the Trip Planner or Google Transit. Planning the trip could be a fun class project in itself.
- Do more homework: find out what other teachers in your school are planning trips at the same time and what route(s) they plan to take.
- A class divided? – If your school is in an area with a relatively high frequency of bus service – or you plan to use SkyTrain, consider splitting the class, with one group taking the following bus or train.
For regular transit users, a little patience goes a long way in welcoming these new transit users.
Download the 2012 iWalk poster and promote walking to school!