Active school transportation (AST) has been associated with children attaining more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and a healthier BMI.1–3 Similar to Canadian children, US rates of AST declined from 48% in 1969 to 13% in 2009.4 There are many reasons for this decline, but parents report distance (62% of respondents), traffic-related injury (30%), and weather (19%) as the top 3 barriers.5
There are many benefits to AST. Children in developed countries are not sufficiently active and obesity remains a global threat.6 Families driving students to school represent 10% to 14% of US traffic during the morning commute,4 and often such trips are less than a half mile. Communities that have invested in infrastructure to promote walking or biking have shown increased property values, improved air quality, reduced urban heat injury, and greater social cohesion.7–9
In 2005, the US Congress established a...
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