title: Suitability of commuting by bicycle to Arizona elementary schools.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the biking suitability (i.e., bikeability) of and prevalence of biking in 14 elementary schools representing two extremes of bused students (2.4% vs. 53.6%).
  
  
  METHODS
  Street segments (within 0.25-mile radius of school) were scored for bikeability. Bikes in racks per school student population established biking prevalence. Mann-Whitney U-test compared bikeability and prevalence of biking between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 12.5 +/- 2.2 streets per school were assessed. Thirteen schools scored very good (< 3.0) and one scored fair (4.0-4.9). Median bikeability score was 0.69 for the low-busing schools and 0.53 for the high-busing schools (nonsignificant). Median biking prevalence was 3.1% in the low-busing schools and 1.3% in the high-busing schools (p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Streets surrounding schools were adequate for biking. Biking prevalence was significantly higher in low-busing schools but was relatively low in both low- and high-busing schools. Other factors, including intraindividual, social, school, and community, likely contribute to choice of biking to school.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise and Wellness, Arizona State University East, Mesa, Arizona 85212, USA. susan.white@asu.edu
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Sisson
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Elizabeth K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Catrine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tudor-Locke
mesh_terms: D001130:Arizona; D001642:Bicycling; D006801:Humans; D012574:Schools; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods*