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KPA Active Travel

Key Priority Area

Active Travel

Supporting students to walk, ride or scoot to school promotes daily physical activity and builds lifelong healthy habits.  

Active Travel is one of the simplest ways to increase students' daily physical activity, often by building on the routes, partnerships and facilities your school already has.

Overview
Resources
Schools in Action

Where does Active Travel fit in?

Active Travel involves walking, riding, scooting or using other active forms of transport to travel to and from school. It is supported by school planning, community partnerships and safe travel initiatives that encourage active travel as part of everyday life.

Getting started

Planning

Taking action

Monitoring

Sustaining

Why this matters

Walking or riding with family and peers creates opportunities for conversation, friendship and connection.

Active travel reduces traffic congestion around schools and helps create safer, more connected local communities.

Top 3 actions to get started

1.

Promote walking, riding and scooting across your local school community.

2.

Map safe walking and cycling routes to your school.

3.

Make active travel easy with safe storage and school initiatives.

Making it inclusive

Support active travel options that recognise different abilities, locations, family circumstances and travel distances.

This might include:

  • identifying safe and accessible walking, riding and scooting routes
  • providing flexible meeting points, distances or participation options
  • considering mobility, sensory and supervision requirements
  • offering alternatives such as park-and-walk or partial active travel 
  • working with students and families to identify barriers and suitable supports

Sustainable practice

Promote Active Travel in ways that are safe, practical and environmentally responsible. 

This might include: 

  • encouraging walking, riding and scooting for suitable journeys 
  • reducing car use for short school trips 
  • using durable and secure bike and scooter infrastructure 
  • working with families and community partners to support long-term participation 
  • planning routes and facilities that respond to weather and local conditions 
  •  

See it in practice

Real stories from Victorian Schools

Primary School

Creswick North Primary School

See how a purpose-built bike track, bicycle education and community partnerships are helping students develop the skills and confidence to choose active travel. 

Secondary School

Cobden Secondary College​

Explore how students refurbished donated bicycles, building practical skills while creating opportunities for active travel within their local community

Specialist School

Swan Hill Specialist School

Discover how an all-weather bike track, bike education and local partnerships are helping students develop cycling skills, confidence and independence.

Resources organised by need

Find the right tools and support to help you increase active travel

WALK AND RIDE TO SCHOOL

Featured resources:

  • Walk Safely to School Day
  • Ride2School – National Ride2School Day
  • Bicycle Network – Ride2School program

BUILD CYCLING SKILLS

Featured resources:

  • Road Safety Education Victoria – Bike education programs
  • AusCycling – Coach or instructor
  • Great Victorian Bike Ride - Plan safe outdoor experiences

PLAN SAFE ROUTES AND CROSSINGS

Featured resources:

  • Transport Victoria – Road and Active Transport
  • School crossings policy
  • Victorian Walks

WORK WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Featured resources:

  • Municipal Association of Victoria
  • Bicycle Network – Open Streets
  • Transport Victoria – Road and Active Transport

ACCESS FUNDING AND SUPPORT

Featured resources:

  • Community Road Safety Grants
  • Municipal Association of Victoria
  • AusCycling – Coach or instructor

Choose your next step

Find the right tools and support to help you increase active travel

Audit your current practice

Plan your next step

Explore quick win ideas

Find a partner or program

Measure and track progress

Acknowledgements | Copyright | Privacy | Accessibility | Contact 

The Active Schools Toolkit has been developed for the Victorian Department of Education by Active Education Australia. 

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