Active Travel to School “Active Commuting to School Can Contribute to Children Achieving Recommended Physical Activity Levels
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Prepared for: Heart Foundation Date: 18 January 2019 Urban Design Study Active Travel to School “Active commuting to school can contribute to children achieving recommended physical activity levels. A number of studies have found that children who walk to school are likely to engage in more physical activity overall and are more likely to meet physical activity guidelines than children who travel by motorised travel.”19 Architectus Group Pty Ltd ABN 90 131 245 684 Nominated Architect Managing Director Ray Brown NSWARB 6359 Adelaide Lower Ground Floor 57 Wyatt Street Adelaide SA 5000 Australia T +61 8 8427 7300 [email protected] Melbourne Level 25, 385 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia T +61 3 9429 5733 F +61 3 9429 8480 [email protected] Perth QV1 Upper Plaza West 250 St. Georges Terrace Perth WA 6000 Australia T +61 8 9412 8355 [email protected] Sydney Level 18, MLC Centre 19 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000 Australia T +61 2 8252 8400 F +61 2 8252 8600 [email protected] architectus.com.au P Murray, M Kelly, and L Connell (2018) Urban Design Study – Active Travel to School. Architectus (Sydney). Prepared for the Heart Foundation (2018). Available at healthyactivebydesign.com.au/active-travel-to-school 2 Active Travel to Schools | Urban Design Study | Architectus Contents The challenge 4 The aim 5 The importance of active travel to school 6 Designing for active travel 8 Case studies 11 Inner Urban 12 Urban 16 Suburban 20 Findings 24 Messages 25 Appendix 26 References 27 P Murray, M Kelly, and L Connell (2018) Urban Design Study – Active Travel to School. Architectus (Sydney). Prepared for the Heart Foundation (2018). Available at healthyactivebydesign.com.au/active-travel-to-school Active Travel to Schools | Urban Design Study | Architectus 3 The challenge 1970s 2010s In recent decades, there has been a profound change in the methods of travel to school throughout Australia. Four decades ago, 3 out of 4 children walked or cycled to school, compared to only 1 out of 4 children today.1 Physical inactivity in children and youth is an international epidemic, with the potential of contributing to chronic disease in adulthood.2 Today, 1 in 5 primary school children, and 1 in 4 secondary school adolescents are overweight or obese.3 How can we make it safer and easier for more kids to walk, cycle, and scoot to school? 4 Active Travel to Schools | Urban Design Study | Architectus The aim The Heart Foundation is working To help increase the number of This study focuses on active to make it easier for children to children who walk or cycle to travel infrastructure improvements walk, cycle, and scoot safely to school, The Heart Foundation surrounding three schools in school. This would create great is seeking a commitment of NSW. It explores opportunities for health benefits, as only 19% of government funding for a cost-effective upgrades in active New South Wales children are complementary set of active travel networks within the walking reaching the recommended 60 travel initiatives including the catchment of a school, based minutes of physical activity per promotion of active travel in upon its local urban context. day.3 Active travel improvements schools, dedicated active travel These improvements in safety can also have significant positive officers within Councils, and active and amenity can encourage more impacts across the whole travel infrastructure improvements children to independently make community. in the neighbourhoods around their own way to school. primary and secondary schools throughout the state. Active travel to school principles Physical activity Safety Less congestion Children’s health can be increased The safety of pedestrians and Road congestion can be reduced by encouraging physically active cyclists (particularly of children by encouraging more children to journeys to and from school making their way to school) can be independently travel to school, every day. increased by improving the safety which would reduce the number of key links in local active travel car trips for school journeys. networks. Active Travel to Schools | Urban Design Study | Architectus 5 The importance of active travel to school Education, promotion and physical improvements can increase participation in active travel by between 5 to 20 percent.4,5,6 Why is it important? Active travel today What are the benefits? Increasing participation in active There has been an ongoing decline Global evidence and international travel to school in NSW is now in active travel to school over the policy affirms the importance more important than ever. In 2015 1 past few decades.1 and benefits of physical activity. in 5 primary school children, and 1 Extensive research illustrates in 4 secondary school adolescents Active travel is now the least that active travel to and from were overweight or obese,3 a common way for children to get to school facilitates positive health situation which has been described school, while being driven is the outcomes including improved as an inactivity epidemic.2 most common. In 2015, 15% of cardiovascular health, increased NSW children used active travel to concentration, reduced stress, Encouraging children to engage in get to school, while 43% of children and reduced greenhouse gas physical activity has the potential were driven by car. This car travel emissions.12 Active travel to school for profound positive impacts for statistic has increased significantly is also associated with active travel their intellectual development, from the 36% of children who were to other destinations, increased physical and mental health, social driven to school in 2010.3 safety (both perceived and actual), development and confidence, and and reduced congestion.13 also for the likelihood that they Active transport is now rated as continue to adopt other healthy a D+ in the 2018 Report Card on Longitudinal studies of Active Travel behaviours.7, 8 Physical Activity for Children and to School programs in the USA, Young People.11 Northern Ireland and Australia have There is overwhelming evidence shown that education, promotion that physical activity helps to and physical improvements can prevent disease throughout a increase participation in active person’s life, and that participation travel by between 5 to 20 percent, in physical activity is difficult as and reduce car transport by 10 people grow older if physical percent.4,5,6 activities are not instilled at an early age. Therefore, supporting Research has demonstrated that healthy attitudes and instilling physical improvements in the active behaviours during childhood built environment can reduce and adolescence is important to environmental constraints and promoting physical activity.2,9,10 increase student active transport self-efficacy.4 Australia, like many other high- income developed nations, must increase rates of physical activity to combat accelerating rates of chronic disease.1 6 Active Travel to Schools | Urban Design Study | Architectus The components of active travel Successful active travel to school programs involve a suite of initiatives working in combination. These include physical active travel infrastructure improvements, school promotion activities, staff training, and government support (policy and funding). The objective of this report is to explore opportunities for physical improvements in a school’s walking catchment that make active travel safer, easier, and more attractive. Physical improvements School programs Government support Children walking to school through Hudson Street Park, Lewisham 14 Active Travel to Schools | Urban Design Study | Architectus 7 Designing for active travel Safety is a key determinant in children’s ability to walk to school,15 and a primary safety issue in many situations is when pedestrians need to cross paths with cars. Creating (or upgrading) crossing points gives pedestrians more visibility, awareness, time, and space to safely navigate these crossings. Active travel Walking catchments Improvements Good quality footpaths, cycle This study focuses on the 2km Active travel improvements should paths, and crossings welcome walking catchment of a school. create continuity in priority routes people to walk and cycle. Active This approximate half hour journey to school by providing safe and travel can also be supported each way represents a child’s direct pathways and crossings in by environmental qualities (for recommended minimum daily key locations. These improvements example with street trees for shade physical activity. This catchment should consider contextual and visual amenity), and passive also recognises that Transport constraints including pedestrian surveillance from other people for NSW provides school travel and vehicle traffic, space, visibility, in the street and from properties passes for primary school lighting, and drainage. nearby.16 students who live outside a 2.3km walking distance from school, Benefits However, not all urban areas have and secondary students who live good quality footpaths, bicycle outside a 2.9km walking distance Pedestrian infrastructure paths, and crossings. Improving from school.17 improvements can overcome active travel links makes walking the major barrier to greater and cycling safer and more Route selection participation in active travel to enjoyable. Compared to other school by: forms of public transport and road Priority routes are the key links – Enhancing pedestrian safety infrastructure, active transport between schools and surrounding – Enhancing