Pedestrian Safety of School Children: Toward Improving Walkability of Inner City Neighborhoods

This proposal focuses on the pedestrian travel and safety of a critical user group - children. The objective of this project is to identify and examine the major factors affecting the safety of children, especially on their journey to school. Based on a proposed conceptual model the project investigates the relative role of the built environment and social milieu in mitigating the risk to children walking to school. Environmental-behavioral approach to school travel suggested in this study promises not only a greater understanding of how to improve the safety of walking children by identifying relevant pedestrian safety issues, but also to identify measures that would promote more walking to school. Specifically, the focus of this study is on the safety of the children in the inner city, who are also more dependent on walking to school. The method will involve documenting children's walking experience and their perception of risks and hazards, supplemented by parent perceptions of the built and social environments of their neighborhood. The methodology will also include interviews with school authorities and neighborhood organizations that now exist to mitigate the risks associated with walking to school. Risk and modifying elements associated with child pedestrians will be identified through comparing objective data on the neighborhood built environment and its social milieu. Thus the study will involve both quantitative and qualitative methods, the latter in particular being child-centered. Children are not only the subjects in this study, but they are also active participants. The findings of this project are expected to better inform current programs and future interventions in improving the safety of child pedestrians in general, and of children walking to school in particular.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $19597.00
• Contract Numbers:

  07-21

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research

  University of Southern California
  650 Childs Way, RGL 107
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90089-0626
• Project Managers:

  Valentine, Victoria

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Southern California, Los Angeles

  University Park Campus
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90089
• Principal Investigators:

  Banerjee, Tridib

• Start Date: 20060901
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 26567

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Built environment; Pedestrian movement; Pedestrian safety; Pedestrian traffic; School children; School trips; Urban areas; Walking
• Uncontrolled Terms: Walk to school
• Subject Areas: History; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01461377
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research
• Contract Numbers: 07-21
• Files: RIP
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 1:44PM