The "path" not taken: Exploring structural differences in mapped-versus shortest-network-path school travel routes

R.N. Buliung, K. Larsen, G.E.J. Faulkner and Mark Stone

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue 9, 1589-1596

Abstract: Objectives. School route measurement often involves estimating the shortest network path. We challenged the relatively uncritical adoption of this method in school travel research and tested the route discordance hypothesis that several types of difference exist between shortest network paths and reported school routes. Methods. We constructed the mapped and shortest path through network routes for a sample of 759 children aged 9 to 13 years in grades 5 and 6 (boys = 45%, girls = 54%, unreported gender = 1%), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to compare reported with shortest-path route measures including distance, route directness, intersection crossings, and route overlap. Measurement difference was explored by mode and location. Results. We found statistical evidence of route discordance for walkers and children who were driven and detected it more often for inner suburban cases. Evidence of route discordance varied by mode and school location. Conclusions. We found statistically significant differences for route structure and built environment variables measured along reported and geographic information systems-based shortest-path school routes. Uncertainty produced by the shortest-path approach challenges its conceptual and empirical validity in school travel research.

Keywords: adolescent; article; Canada; child; demography; environmental planning; female; geographic information system; human; male; school; statistics; traffic and transport; travel; walking, Adolescent; Child; Environment Design; Female; Geographic Information Systems; Humans; Male; Ontario; Residence Characteristics; Schools; Transportation; Travel; Walking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301172

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.301172_5

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301172

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().