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Citation |
Appleyard BS. Natl. Cent. Bicycl. Walk. Forum 2005; (3-7-05): 1-15. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2005) |
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DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
This article examines how mapping exercises with schoolchildren can reveal the influence of travel conditions on perceptions of the neighborhood environment. This, in turn, can help communities identify, prioritize, and generate support for improvements that will make the routes leading to school safe and inviting for walkers and bicyclists. This research further demonstrates how exposure to heavy traffic negatively affects children's perceptions of their environment, and how installing pedestrian and bicycle improvements can quickly improve those perceptions. This shift in perceptions may not only encourage more physical activity, but can also strengthen the connection between children and their communities. In sum, safe school-area streets for walking and bicycling improve a neighborhood's livability from a child's vantage point. Children are highly dependent on cars (and their drivers) for mobility, and, at the same time, they are at the greatest risk from the threats posed by speeding traffic. "Look both ways and wait for the cars before you cross the street!," parents will instruct their children. If a road is busy with speeding traffic and has no sidewalks and/or bike lanes, parents will likely tell their kids to avoid it altogether. The underlying message is clear -- cars rule our streets and, consequently, many of our neighborhoods -- effectively isolating our children from the surrounding community and limiting the range of activities they can participate in along the way to growing up. This limit on independent mobility decreases children's opportunity to be physically fit and healthy. But it may also have an impact on aspects of their mental health by way of diminished ability to independently experience and learn about the world around them. Language: en |