School Travel Planning Research Articles

Reliability and Validity of the Hands-Up Survey in Assessing Commuting to School in New Zealand Elementary School Children

The decrease in physical activity time in and out of school increases the need for active commuting. School travel plan programs have been used internationally to increase active commuting in elementary school children. However, little research has been conducted in the reliability and validity of travel survey instruments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability and validity of the Hands-Up survey to assess active commuting to school from a random sample of children within the Auckland region, New Zealand. Test-retest reliability and criterion validity of travel modes were determined in 118 elementary school children in the Auckland region. The survey tool consisted of one question on commuting to school. Test-retest reliability and validity were evaluated using kappa coefficients. The level of agreement between the children's responses (κ = .96, 95% confidence interval = 0.92-1.00) and between children's and parents' (κ = .91, 95% confidence interval = 0.85-0.98) were almost perfect. The Hands-Up survey is a valid and reliable tool to determine travel mode to school among elementary school children.

School Travel Planning: Mobilizing School and Community Resources to Encourage Active School Transportation

Active school transport (AST), school travel using an active mode like walking, may be important to children's overall physical activity. A "school travel plan" (STP) documents a school's transport characteristics and provides an action plan to address school and neighborhood barriers to AST. We conducted a pilot STP intervention at 12 schools in 4 Canadian provinces. Facilitators and school personnel created and implemented AST action plans. Parent's self-reports (N = 1489) were the basis for evaluating the intervention. A content analysis identified type, frequency, and perceived success of initiatives. School travel plans emphasized education and promotion, and AST activities and events. Capital improvement projects were more common at schools in older suburban neighborhoods, whereas enforcement was more common at schools in newer suburban neighborhoods. Rates of active transportation increased from 43.8% to 45.9%. At follow-up, 13.3% of households reported less driving. Parents/caregivers cited weather, convenience, and trip chaining as primary reasons for continued driving. The STP process may facilitate changes to patterns of school travel. An STP can expand a school's capacity to address transportation issues through mobilization of diverse community resources. Future STP initiatives may benefit from addressing convenience, safety through enforcement, and by examining how schools can be supported in implementing infrastructure improvements.

School Travel Plans: Preliminary Evidence for Changing School-Related Travel Patterns in Elementary School Children

In New Zealand, the School Travel Plan (STP) program was developed to increase school-related active travel rates and decrease traffic congestion. The plan was developed through collaboration among the school, community, and local council. The STP was tailored to each school's specific needs and incorporated educational initiatives, physical infrastructural changes in the vicinity of schools, and policy development. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the STP program in changing school travel modes in children. Effectiveness was assessed by determining the difference between pre-STP and follow-up travel mode data in schools. The differences were assessed using multilinear regression analysis, including decile (measure of socioeconomic status), school roll at baseline, and STP year of implementation as predictors. Thirty-three elementary schools from the Auckland region participated in the study. School size ranged from 130 to 688 students. The final 2006 sample consisted of 13,631 students. On a set day (pre- and post-STP), students indicated their mode of transport to school and intended mode for returning home that day. Differences are reported as percentage points: there was an increase in active transport by 5.9% ± 6.8% when compared to baseline travel modes. School roll, STP year of implementation, and baseline values predicted engagement with active transport. Preliminary findings suggest that the STP program may be successful in creating mode shift changes to favor school-related active travel in elementary-school children.

Active commuting to school in New Zealand Children (2004–2008): A quantitative analysis

ObjectiveTo describe trends in active commuting to school in children from Auckland region, New Zealand following implementation of the School Travel Plan (STP) program. The program included educational initiatives, enforcement activities and urban form changes around school environments. MethodsActive commuting to school was estimated for 57,096 students, aged 5–10years, from 56 elementary schools. Data were drawn from surveys conducted between 2004 and 2008. ResultsThere was an overall increase in active commuting by the third year of STP implementation when compared to baseline levels (40.5% to 42.2%), [OR=2.65, 95% CI=1.75–4.02]. Students of high socio-economic background improved (38.9% to 39.1%) compared to those from mid [OR=0.66, 95% CI=0.82–1.01] and low [OR=0.47, 95% CI=0.32–0.68]. STP appealed to senior (43.6% to 44.3%), [OR=1.33, 95% CI=1.15–1.53] when compared to junior elementary students. The STP was equally effective in schools with small to medium student rolls compared to large schools (34.1% to 36.5%), [OR=1.33, 95% CI=1.09–1.63]. Schools in Auckland city (47.2% to 48.1%), [OR=1.43, 95% CI=1.20–1.70] showed significant improvements when compared to schools from North Shore City. ConclusionThe STP was associated with increased active commuting in children after three years of implementation.

School Travel Plans: Overcoming Barriers to Implementation

The number of primary school children travelling to school by car has almost doubled in 20 years. A governmental policy response is to introduce school travel plans. The paper raises and discusses important issues identified during a literature review, documentary analysis, and an empirical evaluation of school travel plans. These are: (1) barriers to their implementation, extensiveness and longevity, and (2) the behavioural approach which underpins school travel plan promotional literature. A comparative methods design was used for the empirical evaluation that measured the effectiveness of the travel initiatives operating at three schools. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using questionnaires and travel diaries (n = 555, ages 7–11 years) and interviews (22 parents, four key persons). The output measures were: ‘levels of walking to and from school’ and ‘awareness and attitudes’ towards initiatives. In one of the schools a Walking Bus scheme operated successfully. The findings from the research form the backdrop for a discussion of potential measures to overcome the social, geographic, and financial restrictions imposed on some schools. A recommendation is made regarding data collection and the analysis of evaluation data. The general conclusion from the review is that a wide variation in the effectiveness of travel initiatives can be expected.

The effect of school travel plans in reducing school-related motorised travel: Five case study schools

Purpose: Promoting active travel modes to and from school seems a logical way to improve health outcomes, enhance social capital, and reduce school-related traffic congestion. Accordingly, Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), New Zealand, developed a School Travel Plan (STP) initiative to reduce school-related motorised travel. Five case-study primary schools were investigated to determine the extent to which school-related travel behaviour changed as a result of implementing a STP that was relevant to each school's needs. Plans incorporated soft (educational) and/or hard (physical) environmental measures.