Investigators
- Professor Peter Gething (The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University)
- Associate Professor Ewan Cameron (The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University)
- Camilo Vargas (The Kids Research Institute Australia)
- Kai Ciccarelli (The Kids Research Institute Australia)
Partners/collaborators
WA Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure
Project description
The overarching purpose of this research is to tackle a pressing public health challenge: the declining rates of physical activity among children and their increasing reliance on private vehicles for the daily school commute. Rates of active travel to school have plummeted in Perth from 75% to only 20% currently. This alarming decline means more cars on the road, exacerbating traffic congestion and air pollution. It also reflects a missed opportunity to combat rising childhood obesity rates.
To understand the physical, logistical, and psychological barriers families face in supporting active travel to school, this project developed the "Smart Walking and Cycling: Active Travel to School Simulator". This tool creates a “digital twin” of the school commute by integrating data on street networks, housing density, and localized travel surveys across more than 100 primary government schools in Western Australia.
Our findings reveal that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to promoting active travel is ineffective because car dependency varies drastically between different neighbourhoods. Crucially, the research shows that travel time is not the main barrier to walking or cycling. Instead, intrinsic psychological factors, such as deep-seated parental concerns about traffic safety and a lack of separated infrastructure, are the primary deterrents of active travel.
Using the simulator to test policy interventions, we found that improving the perceived safety of a route (e.g., through highly visible crossings and separated cycle lanes) is significantly more effective at reducing car dependency than simply making a route faster. Furthermore, simulating the restriction of cars near school gates, such as implementing “School Streets”, proved to be the most potent way to induce a meaningful shift toward walking and cycling.
Ultimately, this project empowers the Western Australian community through the publicly accessible NumbAT Web Platform. This interactive tool allows parents, schools, and urban planners to visualize neighbourhood data and collaboratively co-design safer streets. By providing an evidence-based roadmap, this research ensures that future public health and infrastructure investments are targeted to where they will have the greatest impact on our children's health.
Funders
This research project was funded by a Healthway grant.