To Park - BikePortland.org

Modeling Children's Independent Walk and Bike Travel to Parks and School
Joseph Broach ([email protected]) and Jennifer Dill ([email protected])
Paper # 13-5327
Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
What factors predict kids’ independent biking and walking?
Kids today are traveling less often by active modes and
less often independently (without adult supervision).
Potential negative effects include decreased physical
activity and increased vehicle miles traveled. This
study considers a range of factors that may explain
differences in active travel choices across children to
inform policy.
CC image courtesy of JeremyOK on Flickr
CC image courtesy of sfbike on Flickr
Small “pocket” parks very close to home might be
especially effective for improving accessibility to kids.
Peer group norms
1.0
Bike to School or Park
1.0
Bike to Park
1.0
To School
1.0
To Park
Park
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
0
1
2
3
strongly
agree
peers ride
0.5
Probability
strongly
disagree
peers ride
0.0
0.0
0.5
Probability
0.5
0.0
0.5
Probability
School
11
12
13
14
15
16
6
8
10
12
14
16
80%
Distance (miles)
68%
60%
55%
50%
44%
40%
Distance (miles)
Age (years)
Age (years)
Proximity is key, especially for park travel. The average
child was nearly three times as likely to walk or bike to
a park ¼ mile from home than one ¾ mile away.
Helmets were a significant barrier preventing 11-16
year olds from biking to the park. Peer group biking
encouraged riding to parks and school across all ages.
Gender
Built environment
Special attention should be paid to the persistent
gender gap for non-school travel.
Policies should recognize the strong social element in
bicycling behavior. Targeting smaller social units
(clubs, classrooms, teams) could be more effective
than broader campaigns.
More research is needed to identify specific elements
of traffic patterns and mixed-uses that parents feel
make neighborhoods unsafe for kids biking.
29%
13%
1.0
10%
Has rule: stay in sight all times
To Park
8%
entropy range
in sample
0%
Binomial logit models were estimated separately for
each mode (walk, bike) and destination (park, school).
For each mode-destination pair, the dependent
variable was whether a child was reported to travel
without an adult chaperone at least once per month
during nice weather. Models were also specified to
predict two household rules (stay in sight, do not bike
in street).
girl
w/ single
parent
6
8
10
12
Age (years)
14
16
strongly agree
agree
0.5
disagree
strongly disagree
boy
0.0
Estimated binomial logit models
to predict behavior and rules
boy
Probability
Bike School
0.5
Bike Park
girl
0.0
Walk School
Probability
Walk Park
girl
0.0
Age Group
0.5
11-16
Probability
6-10
Acknowledgments
Has rule: don't bike in street
Parents feel
traffic unsafe
16%
1.0
15%
1.0
30%
20%
CC image courtesy of sfbike on Flickr
Distance
Walk/Bike without an adult at least once per month
70%
CC image courtesy of gregraisman on Flickr
Policy & Research Implications
0.0
Children aged 6-16 and their parents were surveyed in
323 households. Questions covered reported travel
behavior, neighborhood perceptions, attitudes, rules,
perceived social norms, and socio-demographics. In
addition, GIS-based measures were calculated for
proximity to parks and each child’s school along with
the built environment up to one mile around home.
CC image courtesy of Adrienne Johnson SF on Flickr
Key findings: independent child travel & household rule models
Probability
Surveyed parents and children in
Portland, Oregon
CC image courtesy of drake lelane on Flickr
6
8
10
12
14
16
Age (years)
Significant gender gaps were evident for travel to
parks. For biking to parks, the effect was direct. For
walking to parks, the effect was direct for girls of single
parents, while other girls were affected via more
prevalent “stay in sight” rules. Girls were subject to
“stay in sight” rules roughly 1.5 years longer than boys.
No gender gaps were detected for school travel.
Less diversity
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
More diversity
Land Use Entropy
Parents who perceived neighborhood traffic as unsafe
were much more likely to have rules against kids biking
in the street. Kids living in neighborhoods with diverse
land-use were less likely to be allowed to ride on
neighborhood streets, even after controlling for parent
perceptions of traffic safety.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Active Living
Research Program and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) provided
funding and support for the project. We also thank the
parent and child participants and the research team
for all of their efforts.