School Trips: Effects of Urban Form and Distance on Travel Mode

For over 50 years the U.S. has been shifting away from small, neighborhood schools to larger schools in lower density areas. Rates of children walking and biking to school have declined significantly over this period. This study examines the relationship between urban form, distance, and middle school students walking and biking to and from four schools in Oregon. Five primary results emerge: (1) urban form helps predict travel mode to and from school; (2) middle school students walk further than planners expect; (3) many students use a different mode when they travel to school and when they leave school; (4) urban form measures that predict walking behavior differ from those that predict biking behavior; and (5) urban form is only one factor in students' transportation decisions.