Children's travel behaviour

Spatial mobility plays a crucial role in children's physical, social and intellectual development. As part of a broader study of children's use, evaluation and knowledge of their environment, an examination was made of the travel patterns after school and at weekends of two samples of Toronto teenagers. The first sample provided data on the distances and modes of travel in relation to trip purposes (such as outdoor sports, going to a library or hanging around a playground). An analysis was made to establish whether travel patterns differed by age, sex, socioeconomic status and home environment. The second study compared children for whom a bicycle was an important means of transport with those for whom it was less important. It was concluded that many children's activities do not take place in specialized settings such as schools and playgrounds which are segregated from the real world. This should be recognized and environments created which children can safely negotiate in their daily pursuits. KW: SR2S Language: en