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The study investigates the factors that significantly affect parents' choice of active transport modes for their children's commute to school. Specifically, it identifies factors that influence parents of school-going children in choosing active travel modes like walking and biking over non-active travel modes like driven by private vehicles or taking transit. Drawing on the conventional wisdom and findings of existing studies, the study selected 13 explanatory variables that would explain what causes some parents choosing active transport modes for their children for traveling to school. Having said this, the final goal of the study is to promote use of active travel modes for the children for commuting to school. The study finds that age, gender, distance between home and school, home ownership status, household size, number of household vehicles, number of drivers in household, population density, whether the household is in urban or rural area, and whether the household is in Northeast or other census regions play important and expected roles in narrating parents' decision to use active transport modes for their children's travel to school. Other factors like household income, Hispanic or Latino origin status, and race display mixed results.Binary Logistic Regression Model results indicate that the American parents, to a large extent, make informed decisions while choosing between active versus non-active transport modes for meeting the needs of their children's travel to school. This is very important point for the planners and policy makers in that they can make rationale and justified decisions in providing and managing adequate infrastructure for using active transport modes like walking and biking. The findings can also help them ponder current situation of school-related travels based on which they may take initiatives to introduce appropriate new programs or improve current programs aimed towards encouraging children to walk or bike to school so they stay healthy, i.e., stay away from embracing obesity, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases, and other physical complicacies. |
