Effects of a school-walking-bus program on mobility and parental risk perception: the Canadian Cancer Society Trottibus example in Quebec
Author(s): Charbonneau, Cloutier, Godillon, Thouin
Slidedeck Presentation Only (no paper submitted):
Abstract:
In several parts of North America, walking to school has been in sharp decline for twenty years now and has implications both in terms of reduction in children's physical activity and increase in traffic danger around schools. In recent years, initiatives have emerged to reverse this trend such as walking school bus programs. Walking school buses involve children walking under adult volunteers' supervision, on predefined routes and schedules. The Trottibus project set up in Quebec, Canada in 2013 by the Canadian Cancer Society is a specific walking school bus program taking place in the morning in elementary schools throughout the province. This article presents results from a research project evaluating the impact of the Totttibus program on families' mobility and risk perception on the way to school. Our methodology is based on a mixed method combining a web-based survey (WBS) filled by parents and children participating in the Trottibus, and interviews (I) with twenty-two parents who previously answered the WS. The questionnaires were completed in two stages, before/at the beginning of their participation in the Trottibus (Time 1 = 181 respondents, 26% of the original list of participants), and six month after (Time 2 = 71 respondents), in order to measure changes in mobility and risk perception walking to school. Interviews were conducted in the months following the end of the WS. The results of the WS show that 58% of children went to school by motorized transport while 39% were already walking there before the Trottibus program was offered at their school. At Time 2, 56% of respondents confirmed that their child was now walking to school in the morning. The Trottibus was able to promote a net transfer towards walking for a large number of participating families.
In terms of risk perception, WBS respondents had a better perception of safety than interviewed parents. Accordingly, speed on the Trottibus pathway was one of the major concerns for parents, as well as the fact that drivers fail to give way to pedestrians at intersections (with stop signs or not) or near the school. On the other hand, the presence of adult school crossing guards seems to be very much appreciated at the most dangerous intersections. Web-surveys and interviews demonstrate the impact of the Torttibus program on mobility and risk perception, even though interview results illustrate remaining concerns about traffic and collision risk on the way to school. In addition, the interviews clearly show that the switch from motorized transport to walking is particularly beneficial for families who live further away from school and for whom motorized transport was initially perceived as the simplest solution in a context where family and professional schedules are often complex. The results of our mixed method evaluation will be useful for stakeholders in charge of walking school bus program since they identify obstacles to the implementation of such a program. The combination of survey and interviews strengthen our results and allow for deeper understanding of the parents' motivation and level of commitment to let their children participate in such an initiative.