Title: School travel modes: factors influencing parental choice in Abu Dhabi

Authors: Masood A. Badri

Addresses: Abu Dhabi Education Council (Seconded from UAE University), Research and Planning Division, P.O. Box 36005, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract: During the 2010/2011 school year, 1,145 questionnaires were completed by parents of children attending schools. The percentage of the children actively travelling to school is almost negligible. The highest percentages of children were regularly driven to school by car or school bus. Major traffic conditions, environmental factors, distance to school, road infrastructure, walking or biking in groups, schools' efforts to educate children about active travel and preferences of parents in accompanying children to school were perceived as significantly important. The absence of an active travel culture in the community was seen as a significant factor. Parent's gender, child's gender, child's grade level, number of cars owned by the family, nationality and number of children were significantly associated with parents' decisions to allow active travel to school. Results show that Abu Dhabi needs to implement aggressive strategies to promote active commuting to school.

Keywords: active travel; parental choice; Abu Dhabi; environment factors; walking culture; school travel modes; biking; cycling; car travel; school bus; travelling to school; travel decisions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEED.2013.056010

International Journal of Education Economics and Development, 2013 Vol.4 No.3, pp.203 - 218

Received: 19 Aug 2012
Accepted: 06 Apr 2013
Published online: 10 May 2014 *

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