Safe Routes to School: Community and university partnerships to promote walking to school

Background: Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a federal program designed to increase children's walking/bicycling to school. Primary goals of SRTS are to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions around schools, reduce obesity risk in school children, and improve safety along school routes. Purpose: An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Memphis representing Engineering, City/Regional Planning, Public Health, and Marketing partnered with Memphis City Schools and community agencies to investigate parental perceptions and barriers regarding walking/biking to school in an inner city, predominantly African American elementary school. Significance: Encouraging walking/biking to schools can improve physical activity levels and reduce exposure to pollutants that exacerbate asthma symptoms. Methodology: A parental survey in 2009 assessed demographics, school distance, mode of school arrival/departure, and issues affecting parental decisions. Response rate was 42% of the 545 surveys distributed (n=230). Findings: Of students living < ¼ mile from school, only 30% walked, compared with 57% who arrived by car. Of students living between ¼ -½ mile from school, 67% commuted by family vehicle. While more than 2/3rd of parents (68%) felt walking and biking to school were healthy activities, only 31% indicated their school encouraged these activities. The primary barrier to allowing children to walk/ride bikes was violence/crime (83%). Among parents whose children walked to school, 44% indicated crossing guards affected their decision. Conclusions: Addressing parental concerns related to crime/safety is a promising strategy to increase walking to school in urban neighborhoods. Providing crime protection and increasing crossing guards are important policy investments.