Exploring independent and active mobility in primary school children in Vienna

Abstract

Declining active and independent mobility in primary school children poses a threat to the development of the children's psycho-motoric and cognitive abilities. Increasing accompaniment of children, which is often carried out as car transportation, creates more motorized traffic, thus leading to lower likelihood of other children traveling independently and actively. Against this background, a two-step survey was conducted to analyse the active and independent mobility (AIM) of primary school children. In a first step, mobility licenses and mobility data were collected with the help of travel diaries including specific information on travel accompaniment. In the second step, in-depth interviews with parents were conducted. Although the data can only provide a snapshot of the independent mobility of primary school children, this study confirms that active and independent mobility is the result of a variety of factors. The results indicate that – besides trip distance and age –the type of school (all-day/half-day primary school) is likewise relevant. Based on the parents' assessments, significant sharing of trips takes place in case travel accompaniment is unnecessary. Depending on the parents' attitudes towards AIM, we identified three “profiles” (Promoters, Pragmatists and Protectors). Linking these profiles to indicators of AIM reveals that different attitudes manifest themselves in children's travel patterns. The results are limited as only two schools served as sources of data and it was not possible to decouple the parental profiles from children's ages. Overall, it can be concluded that there is potential for improved active and independent mobility in children. To be effective, future campaigns need to consider parental attitudes.