TITLE
Trends in walking and bicycling to school:
Takeaways for building successful programs
Soon after the establishment of the Federal SRTS Program in 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to
School launched a data collection system to support local program planning and evaluation and to monitor
student commute patterns nationwide. Seven years after the start of the Federal program, the National Center
analyzed more than 525,000 parent surveys from nearly 4,700 schools to look for changes in travel patterns and
parent perceptions about walking to school. While a full report, Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School from 2007
to 2012, describes all of the findings, there are some particular takeaways for SRTS leaders, stakeholders and
funders that could strengthen new and existing SRTS programs.
About the study
The analysis examined data collected using the National Center for
Safe Routes to School’s parent survey form from 2007 through 2012.
The sample included nearly 4,700 schools located in all states and
DC. The parent survey data is not considered representative of all
households, instead they give insight into communities where walking
to school was slightly more feasible than average (for example, rural
schools are under-represented in the study). Surveys came from schools
with ranging amounts of SRTS activity, from those seeking SRTS funds
to get started to those conducting SRTS programs.
Study results
Walking and bicycling to school
• W
alking to and from school increased significantly between 2007
and 2012, from 12.4% to 15.7% in the morning; and from 15.8% to
19.7% in the afternoon.
• A
lthough walking increased among students who attended low-,
medium- and high-income schools, walking increased especially among
students who attended low-income schools (schools where at least 75%
of students were eligible to receive free or reduced price meals).
• B
etween 2007 and 2012, the percentage of parents who reported
that their child’s school supported walking and bicycling for the
school commute rose from 24.9% to 33%.
• A
lthough schools located in suburbs, towns, and rural areas showed
higher rates of walking over time, walking increased especially at
schools located in cities.
19.7%
15.7%
15.8%
12.4%
• Boys and girls were equally likely to make the school commute on foot.
• T
here was a small but statistically significant decrease in bicycling
to school between 2007 and 2012, from 2.6% to 2.2% in both the
morning and afternoon.
• Boys were twice as likely as girls to ride a bicycle to/from school.
National Center for Safe Routes to School | www.saferoutesinfo.org | (toll-free) 1-866-610-SRTS
2007
2012
Morning
2007
2012
Afternoon
Comparison of student walking rates in the
morning and afternoon in 2007 and 2012.
Trips by bus and private vehicle
Income and mode
• U
sing the bus decreased significantly between 2007
and 2012. Within one mile of school, the largest
shift between travel modes occurred between busing
and walking, with busing decreasing significantly
and walking increasing significantly.
• A
lthough walking increased among students who
attended low-, medium- and high-income schools,
walking increased especially among students who
attended low-income schools (schools where at least
75% of students were eligible to receive free or
reduced price meals).
• R
iding a bus for the school commute most
commonly occurred in rural areas.
• B
eing driven was most likely to occur in low- and
medium-income schools located in cities.
• Y
ounger students were most likely to be driven
to school.
• S
tudents attending low-income schools were the
most likely to walk to/from school, whereas students
attending high-income schools (schools where fewer
than 40% of students were eligible to receive free or
reduced price meals) were the most likely to bicycle
to/from school.
Implications for planning and conducting walking and bicycling programs
Study results suggest promising ways to promote safe walking and bicycling to and from school:
• A
sk schools to support walking and bicycling to
school and help them publicize it. This could be
through visible walk-to-school policies or even a
banner that says “we walk to school,” as a way to
promote the norm of walking and bicycling. Parents
who felt that their child’s school supported walking
and bicycling were more likely to have children who
used these modes.
• E
ncourage families to discuss getting to school
using travel modes other than the car. Having that
conversation could sway some families into giving
walking and bicycling a try. Beyond encouraging
children to ask permission to walk or bicycle, SRTS
practitioners should consider engaging families in
identifying when, where, and how they will walk/bicycle
between home and school, which can further solidify
turning discussion into action. When children asked
their parents for permission to walk or bicycle to/from
school, they were much more likely to walk or bicycle
than children who had not asked for permission.
• A
ssess commonly used walking and bicycling routes
for safety concerns and work with local governments
to make necessary changes or, where possible,
encourage use of alternate routes that might
afford more safety. Create and share maps showing
preferred walking and bicycling routes to school
using Map-a-Route at maps.walkbiketoschool.org.
• C
reate a toolkit for schools that are considering
reducing bus service so they can plan for how to help
students be as safe as possible as they transition
from bus riding to walking or bicycling.
• E
xplore what local, community-specific reasons might
keep girls from bicycling to school and seek ways to
overcome these issues. Girls were half as likely as
boys to use a bicycle for their school commute.
• In areas where distance is a barrier, establish remote
drop-off and pick-up locations or hold “walk at
school” events to build lifelong walking and bicycling
safety skills and provide an opportunity for physical
activity.
• U
se walking to “grow” more walking. As more
students walk between home and school,
opportunities to develop walking school buses,
“walking buddy” initiatives, and similar programs
increase. It follows that as walking to school
becomes a more accepted and normal daily activity,
growing numbers of students are likely to walk.
National Center for Safe Routes to School | www.saferoutesinfo.org | (toll-free) 1-866-610-SRTS