15%

68%

16%

55%

13%

44%

8%

29%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

6-10 11-16Age Group

Walk/Bike without an adult at least once per month

Walk Park Walk School Bike Park Bike School

6 8 10 12 14 16

0.0

0.5

1.0

To Park

Age (years)

Pro

babi

lity

Pro

babi

lity

Modeling Children's Independent Walk and Bike Travel to Parks and School Joseph Broach (jbroach@pdx.edu) and Jennifer Dill (jdill@pdx.edu)

Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

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.

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.

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).

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Active Living Research Program and the Oregon Transportation Re-search 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.

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.

Distance

Gender

6 8 10 12 14 16

0.0

0.5

1.0

Has rule: stay in sight all times

Age (years)

Pro

babi

lity

girl w/ single parent

girl

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.

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.

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.

Built environment

What  factors  predict  kids’  independent biking and walking?

Surveyed parents and children in Portland, Oregon

Estimated binomial logit models to predict behavior and rules

Policy & Research Implications Key findings: independent child travel & household rule models

Acknowledgments

Peer group norms

11 12 13 14 15 16

0.0

0.5

1.0

Bike to Park

Age (years)

Pro

babi

lity

Small “pocket” parks very close to home might be especially effective for improving accessibility to kids. 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.

CC image courtesy of JeremyOK on Flickr CC image courtesy of drake lelane on Flickr CC image courtesy of Adrienne Johnson SF on Flickr CC image courtesy of sfbike on Flickr CC image courtesy of gregraisman on Flickr CC image courtesy of sfbike on Flickr

Paper # 13-5327

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

0.0

0.5

1.0

To Park

Distance (miles)

Pro

babi

lity

0 1 2 3

0.0

0.5

1.0

To School

Distance (miles)P

roba

bilit

y

boy

6 8 10 12 14 16

0.0

0.5

1.0

Bike to School or Park

Age (years)

Pro

babi

lity

strongly disagree peers ride

strongly agree peers ride

Park

School

entropy range in sample

Par

ents

feel

tra

ffic

unsa

fe

strongly disagree

disagree

agree strongly agree

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

0.0

0.5

1.0

Has rule: don't bike in street

Land Use EntropyP

roba

bilit

ygirl

boy

More diversity Less diversity