Isaac Brock is taking back the street

​Green Action Centre has partnered with Isaac Brock School for School Streets, an effort to reduce traffic congestion in front of schools. 

The pilot program sees Barratt Avenue in front of Isaac Brock closed to traffic between 8:30 and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. School Streets started on Sept. 8 and will continue until early November.

Green Action Centre sustainable transportation coordinator Mel Marginet said that School Streets is partly in response to the pandemic, which has resulted in a growing number of parents and caregivers driving their kids to school. 

"We're seeing a real pressure on the streets in terms of the increased traffic," Marginet said. "We wanted to make a safe space for kids to be able to walk and bike into their school. This is the street where all the kids are essentially meeting in the morning, so if you have a whole bunch of motor vehicles dropping off kids here it can be dangerous. This is a creative solution and a really low-cost solution."

Marginet, as well as Isaac Brock principal Chris Goring, WSD school trustee Jennifer Chen and Daniel McIntyre councilor Cindy Gilroy spoke at a launch event for School Streets on Sept. 24  on Barratt Avenue. After the event – which coincided with the end of the school day – Isaac Brock students decorated the closed street with sidewalk chalk.

Goring said Green Action Centre contacted the school over the summer with the School Streets idea. He said the pitch fit perfectly with Isaac Brock's concerns.

"There's been an ongoing conversation with our staff and the parent council about lessening the congestion in front of our school," Goring said. "We have over 400 students. We also have the WSD's Cree and Ojibwe bilingual programs here. We have families that want to drop-off and pickup their children using their car, but it was becoming congested. Somedays it felt a little chaotic. Now there is a sense of calm."

Marginet noted that a reduction in traffic congestion also means a reduction in air and noise pollution from vehicles.

"The impact on the air quality around those schools is significant," Marginet said. "Some of the worst air quality in Winnipeg at any given day is in front of a school during drop-off and pickup times."

Of course, Isaac Brock parents and caregivers are still able to drop-off and pickup their children by vehicle, just not on Barratt Avenue. Instead, drop-offs and pickups can be done on neighbouring Spruce and Clifton streets.

Goring said the School Streets pilot has worked so well, he doesn't think there's any going back.

"It's a collaborative process and we're consulting with parents," Goring said. "I don't think we can go back. The alternative is to put in a bus loop, which is not ideal because it's financially prohibitive and it would take away from our school field. I think this street closure is the solution."

For more information about School Streets, go to www.greenactioncentre.ca/featured/school-streets-pilot