Effective Factors in Walking Mode Choice of Different Age Groups for School Trips

An increase in motorized trips and a decline in individuals’ physical activity have become a major concern for many communities. Recently, this issue has led many local and regional authorities to promote non-motorized travel including walking and bicycling in urban areas. Among different trip purposes, school trips have captured significant attention in both public and academic viewpoints. This is, understandably, due to the priority that societies and policy-makers, specifically, give to the children. However, research on different age groups remains limited suggesting the need to develop models of walking travel behavior that are segmented by age groups. This research investigated and compared walking behaviors in three age groups including elementary, middle and high school students in Rasht, Guilan. A series of behavioral choice models are introduced using a range of explanatory variables including individual, household, travel, and environmental variables. Results show that males are more interested to walk in all age groups. Also individual who has a car in his/her household is less motivated to walk. Time of day was also found effective on decision to walk in elementary and middle aged students. Another significant factor is the travel distance which diversely affects walking in all models. A number of variables are also discussed in the article and some issues are suggested for future research.