Use of private motor vehicle transportation for taking children to school in São Paulo Metropolitan Area, Brazil, 1997-2012

Abstract:

São Paulo Metropolitan Area, Brazil, showed an increase from 1997 to 2007 in the use of private motor vehicles for taking children to school, with potential harm to their health. The aim of this study was to extend the analysis of this trend until 2012 and discuss possible strategies to increase the proportion of children who walk, cycle, or use public transportation to get to school. Analysis of the data from the Mobility Survey of 2012 indicate not only the continuation but also an accelerated increase in the use of private motorized transportation for schoolchildren aged 6 to 11 years. The effect of initiatives to promote walking will only be properly understood with adequate monitoring of daily commuting to school and the evaluation of their impact on the population's health. A package of policies and programs specifically targeted to the promotion and protection of walking, cycling, and use of public transport by schoolchildren is indispensable for guaranteeing their right to travel safely, independently, and actively in São Paulo Metropolitan Area.

Keywords:
Walking; Transportation; Child