Australian School Students’ Utilitarian Cycling: Patterns and Associated Determinants

Abstract

School students’ travel forms an integral component of the overall transport demand in Australian cities. Students’ travel mode selection plays a vital role in their physical, social and mental well-being. Utilitarian bike riding is increasingly recognised as being important, giving children an economical, healthy and environmentally friendly travel option. An added advantage is that they can travel for relatively longer distances using an active travel mode that they are in control of. In spite of the numerous and multifaceted benefits of cycling, very few Australian school students use the bicycle for transport. Australian parents and guardians, bound by the ethos surrounding good parenting and conventional travel norms, may feel obliged to drive their children to school, with consequential negative implications for their children’s health and well-being or the development of life-long attitudes towards the use of varied travel modes.