Impacts of the safe routes to school program on walking and cycling

Impacts of the Safe Routes to School Program on Walking and BicyclingNoreen McDonald University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1... Safe Routes to School Program Impacts8... School Bus

Impacts of the Safe Routes to School Program on Walking and Bicycling

Noreen McDonald University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Children’s Travel

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Why do we need to understand

Physical Activity Opportunities

Safe Routes to School Program Impacts

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School Bus

Transit

US Mode to School, 5-18 year olds

Source: McDonald, et al 2011 AJPM 41(2): 146-151.

SRTS by the Numbers

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Funding

$1.2 Billion

Schools

Source: McDonald, et al 2013 AJPM 45(4): 401-406.

1 in 5

Research Question

• Do SRTS programs affect the proportion of

children walking and bicycling to school?

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Quasi-• 4 states

• 801 schools

• 2007-2012

Proportion Walking

and Bicycling to School

SRTS Interventions

School Characteristics

Neighborhood Characteristics

Time Period

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it f SRTS X Z D

Source: National Center for Safe Routes to School

• 4Es

• Engineering

• Education, Encouragement

• Enforcement

Linear Function

% Walk Bike

SRTS

Combined

Time

Presence (1/0)

Number of

Presence Number of

Years

School and Neighborhood

• US Dept of Education

• Census

• WalkScore

Methods: Functional Form





Source: Papke and Wooldridge, 2008; Papke and Wooldridge, 1996

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Walking and Biking to School

0.1-1.0 years

1.1-2.0 years

2.1-3.0 years

3.1-4.0 years

4.1-5.0 years

>5.0 years

Source: McDonald, et al 2015 JAPA 80(2).

Results: SRTS Program Impacts

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0.8 0.9

1.2 1.2

3.2 -1

Results: SRTS Program Impacts

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0.8 0.9

1.2 1.2

3.2 -1

• 0.9 point increase per year

• Over 5 years, a relative increase

of 25%

Source: McDonald, et al 2015 JAPA 80(2).

Results: SRTS Program Impacts

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0.8 0.9

1.2 1.2

3.2 -1

Results: SRTS Program Impacts

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Enforcement

• No statistically significant effect

0.8 0.9

1.2 1.2

3.2 -1

Results: SRTS Program Impacts

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0.8 0.9

1.2 1.2

3.2 -1

Results: SRTS Program Impacts

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0.8 0.9

1.2 1.2

3.2 -1

• Relative increase

of 20%

Source: McDonald, et al 2015 JAPA 80(2).

Work @ ITS

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Image Source: http://www.basf-new-business.com/

Source: The Atlantic

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Declining licensure & mobility

Impacts and explanations

Millennial Travel

Image Source: New York Times Image Source: The Atlantic

The Millennial Economy: Links between

Transport and Work for a New

Generation

Image Source: https://www.sccsc.edu/client/NewsDetail.aspx?id=9381

Changing Nature of Workforce Transition

& Role of Transport

as Barrier/Facilitator

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Tradeoffs between Environmental

Benefits and Social Exclusion: Are There Risks to the Downturn in Driving?

Children’s Travel

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Image Source: http://www.perey.com/images/social_networking.jpg

Walking and Biking Health

Physical Activity

Pollution Intake

-Air Quality &

Physical Activity

noreen@unc.edu

N.McDonald@leeds.ac.uk

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