Active & Safe Routes to School uses a coordinated and strategic approach to address infrastructure, behaviour, safety, and educational needs in order to increase active transportation use among children, youth and their families. The CRD is delivering this project to elementary, middle and high schools in partnership with local governments and HASTe BC. Twenty schools are participating in the full school travel planning process while eight additional schools are participating in one-time special events and data collection activities. The CRD is also working with experts and stakeholders to put together research on regulatory and financial tools to support active transportation infrastructure investments and the business case for active travel in urban, rural and sub-urban communities.

Bike2Farm supports youth of all ages in exploring local food systems on two wheels. Tours across the capital region showcase farms, community gardens, edible boulevards, restaurants, and grocery stores. Each event combines food security education with a fun and safe active transportation experience. Organized by the CR-FAIR Society, the goal of this project is to inspire youth and their families to buy local, eat healthy food and cycle more often. Each tour includes safety, route planning, injury prevention and courtesy information.

Bike Freedom is a cycling education program aimed at encouraging people 55+ who want to ride a bicycle for recreation and fitness, but do not have the skills or confidence. The program provides a range of courses that teach cycling skills and provide ancillary information in a supportive environment. Tailored to the needs, concerns and locations of older adults, the courses will be available in three locations across the capital region: the Core, Westshore and Peninsula.

Youth have a chance to learn the fundamentals of trail riding at the Sooke Bike Park located at SEAPARC Recreation Centre with Bike Skills 101. Participants can develop their skills, learn about safety and etiquette, and build their confidence for riding in an outdoor setting. Each workshop includes safe route planning, injury prevention and cyclist courtesy – all transferable skills which support cycling as a part of everyday life.

This project is an online mapping resource that supports social connection among older adults. Service providers, caregivers and web-savvy seniors can access the digital resource to find places for recreation, lifelong learning, volunteering, support groups and social activities. The interactive map shows which public transit routes serve these locations as well as major trails and walking distances. Behind the public resource lies a tool designed for municipal planners and service providers that enables visualization of population data from Statistics Canada to inform land use planning considerations and potential infrastructure or service needs.  

This project supports local and regional land use planning by mapping travel “time sheds” around recreation centres for different modes of travel. Time sheds are calculated for pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders to visually demonstrate how access to transportation modes varies for residents throughout the capital region and to identify any critical transportation gaps. While the initial application is focused on recreation centres, this type of mapping can be expanded in the future to act as a planning resource for municipalities, major employers and public sector agencies.

The Greater Victoria Placemaking Network is creating a new guidebook to support residents and businesses in hosting Living Street events. Living Streets are scheduled days when a community temporarily changes the use of roadways to encourage active transportation, informal social interaction and neighbourhood fun. This project includes public education as well as volunteer support and micro-grants for communities to host their own Living Street events.

CRD Parks is offering guided cycling tours along the Galloping Goose, Lochside and E&N trails for residents of all ages to learn about the history, cultural and environmental features of the trails. Participants are also introduced to trail etiquette, safety and courtesy. A roving interpretive program offers trail users a chance to learn more about the trails as linear parks, recreational assets and transportation corridors. 

New Routes focuses on supporting active travel among newcomers and immigrants. Delivered by the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria, in partnership with Bike to Work Victoria, this project provides bike skills courses tailored for newcomers of all ages. The project also includes the development of new transportation safety materials and educational resources on cycling, walking, and public transit translated into a number of common settlement languages.

The Play in the Park series invites families to walk, bike or roll over to their park every weekday evening during the summer to enjoy free outdoor and active play for the whole family. Led by Panorama Recreation, Play in the Park includes displays, contests, and interactive activities that support residents in trying active transportation more often. 

BikeMaps.org is a citizen science tool based out of the University of Victoria for improving data on cycling safety. By giving cyclists an easy and immediate online tool to report hazards and incidents, residents can be proactive in making their environment safer. This project focuses on raising awareness of the Bike Maps tool among residents living in the Saanich Peninsula, Western Communities and Salt Spring Island and providing municipal staff with access to data to help evaluate active transportation infrastructure and maintenance issues.

As a way to encourage more residents and visitors to explore Salt Spring Island by bike, Island Pathways is developing a 2017 Cycling Map. This print and on-line map will offer new and experienced riders information on bike routes, safety tips, and active transportation services and amenities on the island.

The CRD is working with municipalities to install 15 new self-serve bike repair and skateboard repair stations at community recreation centres, central business districts, and parks across the region. Each station provides a convenient place for minor repairs and adjustments.

The Story Walks series combines childhood literacy, nature and active transportation. Families are invited to visit user-friendly trails in the west shore to explore pages illustrated children’s book. This project, hosted by West Shore Parks & Recreation, brings reading to life and is a perfect opportunity to encourage walking, wheeling and scooting among the youngest residents and their caregivers. 

WALKtober encourages residents to participate in an interactive walking challenge. Using a fitness tracking device (including smartphone apps), residents face off against local personalities or challenge themselves to meet a daily walking goal for draw prizes. Hosted by Walk On! Victoria, this project celebrates walking as a healthy, sustainable form of transportation and raises the profile of pedestrian issues across the capital region.

This educational campaign led by Island Health uses powerful stories and experiences from students and their families living in the capital region to shift attitudes and perceptions regarding active travel. The goal is to increase knowledge of the health-related benefits of active transportation and to encourage more students who identify as girls between 7 and 15 to get physically active by cycling, walking, rolling and taking public transit.