title: School travel planning: mobilizing school and community resources to encourage active school transportation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Active school transport (AST), school travel using an active mode like walking, may be important to children's overall physical activity. A "school travel plan" (STP) documents a school's transport characteristics and provides an action plan to address school and neighborhood barriers to AST.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a pilot STP intervention at 12 schools in 4 Canadian provinces. Facilitators and school personnel created and implemented AST action plans. Parent's self-reports (N = 1489) were the basis for evaluating the intervention. A content analysis identified type, frequency, and perceived success of initiatives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  School travel plans emphasized education and promotion, and AST activities and events. Capital improvement projects were more common at schools in older suburban neighborhoods, whereas enforcement was more common at schools in newer suburban neighborhoods. Rates of active transportation increased from 43.8% to 45.9%. At follow-up, 13.3% of households reported less driving. Parents/caregivers cited weather, convenience, and trip chaining as primary reasons for continued driving.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The STP process may facilitate changes to patterns of school travel. An STP can expand a school's capacity to address transportation issues through mobilization of diverse community resources. Future STP initiatives may benefit from addressing convenience, safety through enforcement, and by examining how schools can be supported in implementing infrastructure improvements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, ON, Canada. ron.buliung@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buliung
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Faulkner
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beesley
authors.forename: Jacky
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D001642:Bicycling; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods*; D016138:Walking