Slow down and watch for college students strolling, biking, and rolling again to high school subsequent week

August 29 2025 –

With college again in session subsequent week, the City is reminding drivers to watch out and look out for kids and different pedestrians strolling, biking, and rolling to and from college.  

 

“Whether you’re behind the wheel, on a bike, or walking, road safety is a shared responsibility. While it’s important to exercise caution at all times of the year, the September return to school is a time to be extra vigilant,” mentioned Mayor Ken Sim. “Kids are excited to get back to class and see their friends and teachers, and we want to make sure they get to school safely every day. Let’s all do our part to keep school zones safe.” 

Pedestrian security close to colleges

To assist guarantee areas round colleges are a secure place to stroll, bike and roll, drivers are reminded to:  

• Budget additional time to soundly journey throughout your commute.
• Follow all posted indicators and cling to 30 km/h and 40 km/h college sluggish zones.
• Respect the college’s decide up and drop off designated areas and cling to all no stopping signage.
• Consider parking a five-minute stroll away and strolling kids to the college.
• Yield to pedestrians at intersections and stay stopped till pedestrians attain the opposite aspect of the curb.
• Respect all security patrols round colleges in Vancouver.
• Leave at the least one metre of space External website, opens in new tab when passing pedestrians, cyclists, and other people utilizing e-mobility units.
• Yield to buses at bus stops who could also be choosing up or dropping off college students. Under the BC Motor Vehicle Act, drivers should yield to TransLink automobiles after they give a sign or show the intention to re-enter the circulate of site visitors.

The City has a lot of safety-focused packages to assist help pedestrians and college students all through the college 12 months, together with:   

School Slow Zones

To improve security for elementary college students and encourage drivers to decelerate round colleges, School Slow Zones cut back automobile velocity limits to 40 km/h on arterial streets and 30 km/h on collector streets between 8 am and 5 pm on college days. Custom indicators and highway markings will probably be put in in early fall in 12 college zones protecting 15 colleges.  

Walking School Bus

Designed to scale back congestion close to colleges, the Walking School Bus program is again for a fifth 12 months. A Walking School Bus is a bunch of scholars who journey to and from college every day alongside a chosen route, stopping alongside the best way to select up extra college students. Adult stroll leaders accompany every group.   

School Streets

The School Streets program retains a block beside a college open for strolling, biking, and rolling throughout designated hours on college days. During that point, motor automobiles aren’t permitted to drive alongside the block. School Streets are at present discovered at Lord Selkirk and General Gordon Elementary colleges.  

Walk Bike Roll Mini-Grant

The City provides Walk Bike Roll mini-grants of as much as $1,500 to elementary and secondary colleges to encourage and promote college students safely strolling, biking or rolling to high school. Applications open on the finish of September.   

Plan forward for construction-related site visitors impacts

Road work and building continues all through Vancouver throughout the back-to-school season with ongoing important rehabilitation, renewal and growth tasks underway that may impression metropolis streets. Here are some tasks with vital site visitors impacts underway this fall: 

• Drake St Upgrades: The ultimate section of labor to put in a brand new bike lane on Drake Street is now underway, with completion anticipated for spring 2026. Watch for intersection closures as work progresses from block to dam between Granville Street and Pacific Boulevard, and on the Burrard Street intersection.
• Granville Bridge south ramps rehabilitation challenge: Construction continues on the south finish of the bridge, with phased ramp closures in place till summer season 2026. This deliberate upkeep work on the ramps used to enter and exit the bridge on the south aspect consists of concrete repairs, deck joint substitute, and bearing substitute work. Granville Connector opened in July.
• West forty ninth and Alberta sewer separation upgrades: W forty ninth Avenue and Ontario Street will stay closed till Winter 2025. Buses to Langara College stay operational with detours as mandatory.
• Arbutus Ridge Water Main Replacement: Starting September, there will probably be single-lane site visitors in every route on Arbutus St from West thirty fourth Avenue and West thirty fifth Avenue with diminished speeds.
• Metro Vancouver Columbia Street Sewer Repairs External website, opens in new tab: Sewer repairs are ongoing till early 2026 with single-lane closures alongside West 2nd Avenue from Alberta Street to Columbia Street into September.
• Broadway Subway: Construction continues on the Millennium Line SkyTrain extension, with some site visitors sample adjustments on the six station websites on Great Northern Way and Broadway.

To maintain forward of different site visitors impacts occurring throughout town, go to vancouver.ca/roadahead for the newest updates on highway closures and building tasks.   

Resources

Drivers travelling in and round college zones or building areas ought to plan forward and count on delays.