STREETS (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools)
The STREETS Study (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools) is a five-year (2018 – 2023) natural experiment that is evaluating the City of Austin Safe Routes to School program. In 2016, the City of Austin approved $27.5 million in Mobility Bond Funds for Safe Routes to School infrastructure projects, including protected bike lanes, pedestrian islands, shared use paths, and pedestrian hybrid beacons. Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living Investigators are evaluating these transformative infrastructure changes. The evaluation includes a comparison/control study with schools in Central Texas.
The City of Austin Safe Routes to School program information is available online.
The STREETS (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools) study includes two rigorous approaches:
Active Commuting to School (cross-sectional) study:
- Participants: 3rd – 5th grade classroom teachers at 95 schools in Central Texas are participating in this project
- Project length: biannual measurements between Fall 2018 and Spring 2024
- Measurements: classroom active commuting to school tally and school policy survey
Physical Activity in Children (cohort) study:
- Participants: following 3rd graders from 31 schools in Central Texas for 3 years (3rd – 5th grade)
- Project length: Fall 2018 to Spring 2024
- Measurements: objective physical activity as measured by accelerometers; parent and child surveys; school environmental audits
STREETS Final Report 2024 for Schools
STREETS Research Study Video
The City of Austin Safe Routes to School program information is available online.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Sarah S. Bentley, MPH
Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living
1616 Guadalupe Street, Suite 6.300
Austin, Texas 78701
[email protected]
512-482-6152
Examination of Neighborhood and Perceived Traffic-Related Safety Factors Associated with Active Commuting to School in a Large Urban City
Burford, K.; Salvo, D.; Kohl, H.; Ganzar, L.A.; Bauer, C.; Resendiz, E.; Zhang, Y.; Hoelscher, D. Examination of Neighborhood and Perceived Traffic-Related Safety Factors Associated with Active Commuting to School in a Large Urban City. (2025) Active Living Conference.
Evaluating the Impact of the Safe Routes to School Infrastructure on Active Commuting in Central Texas Schools
Hoelscher, D. (Presenter); Zhang, Y.; Ganzar, L.A.; Lanza, K.; Salvo, D.; Bentley, S.; Pérez, A. Evaluating the Impact of the Safe Routes to School Infrastructure on Active Commuting in Central Texas Schools. Active Living Conference 2025.
Association between Parental Perceptions and Active Commuting to School in Children-TEXPOP
5/14/2025 - Swinney, K.; Zhang, Y.; Ganzar, L.A.; Perez, A.; Salvo, D.; Bentley, S.; Hoelscher, D.M. Association between Parental Perceptions and Active Commuting to School in Children. TEXPOP 2025
Methods for Developing and Assessing Reliability of a Micro-Scale, Built Environment Audit Tool for Research and Evaluation of Active Commuting to School. Active Living Conference 2025
Ganzar, L.A., DrPH, MPH; Burford, K., PhD; Salvo, D., PhD; Spoon, C.; Sallis, J.F., PhD; Hoelscher, D.M., PhD, RDN, LD, CNS, FISBNPA. Methods for Developing and Assessing Reliability of a Micro-Scale, Built Environment Audit Tool for Research and Evaluation of Active Commuting to School. Active Living Conference 2025.
Association between Parental Perceptions and Active Commuting to School in Children
03/2025 - Swinney, K.; Zhang, Y.; Ganzar, L.A.; Perez, A.; Salvo, D.; Bentley, S.; Hoelscher, D.M. Association between Parental Perceptions and Active Commuting to School in Children. TEXPOP 2025.
Exploring the transformative impact of substantial funding and strategic collaborations on Safe Routes infrastructure in Austin, Texas
9/30/2024 - Learn about the allocation, prioritization, and implementation processes for a comprehensive SRTS infrastructure project
Evaluating the Impact of Safe Routes to School Infrastructure on Active Travel in Central Texas Schools: Findings from the STREETS Study
9/9/2024 - Novel method for integrating accelerometry, GPS, and GIS data
Can We Re-Engineer Utilitarian Physical Activity Back into Our Lives? Challenges from Natural Experiments Evaluating the Effects of Urban Planning or Infrastructure Changes on Active Travel
5/20/2024 - Moderator: Deanna M. Hoelscher, PhD, RDN, LD, FISBNPA Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living
Safe Streets for Everyone? Equity Implications of Municipal Policies on Safe Routes to School Implementation
4/1/2024 - To provide community perspectives on barriers and facilitators for implementation
Measuring weather in active living research: Agreement between objective and perceived weather conditions from the national Safe Routes to School tally
3/27/2024 - As extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense, reliable and validated weather measures are needed to evaluate the effects of climate change on children's physical activity (PA), including active commuting to and from school (ACS).
Incorporating Equity into Active Commuting to School Infrastructure Projects: A Case Study
Incorporating Equity into Active Commuting to School Infrastructure Projects: A Case Study
Inequities in Active Travel Infrastructure Coverage across School Neighborhoods in Central Texas
Inequities in Active Travel Infrastructure Coverage across School Neighborhoods in Central Texas
Examining the availability and equitable distribution of recreational assets for physical activity across school neighborhoods in Central Texas
9/22/22 - Examining the availability and equitable distribution of recreational assets for physical activity across school neighborhoods in Central Texas
Longitudinal Changes in Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time among School-Age Children in Central Texas, US during the COVID-19 Pandemic
9/10/22 - Longitudinal Changes in Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time among School-Age Children in Central Texas, US during the COVID-19 Pandemic
STREETS School Stakeholder Interview Qualitative Report by Jenna Guzman
8/10/22 - STREETS School Stakeholder Interview Qualitative Report
STREETS: ISBNPA Conference Presentation by Dr. Ganzar
5/21/2022 - Changes in Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior among School-Age Children during COVID-19
Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating Health Effects of Municipally Funded Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Projects in Austin, Texas
4/11/22 - Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating Health Effects of Municipally Funded Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Projects in Austin, Texas
STREETS: Active Living Conference Presentation by Katie Burford
04/08/2021 - Associations of Reported Crime and Children's Active Commuting to School: The Safe TRavel Environments Evaluation in Texas Schools Study (STREETS).
STREETS: Active Living Conference Presentation by Dr. Ganzar
04/08/2021 - School Policies and Active Commuting among Elementary Students: A Dose Response Association
STREETS Healthier Texas Summit Presentation
10/17/2019 - Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating the Health Effects of the City of Austin’s Safe Routes to School Program
Development, scoring, and reliability for the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes for Safe Routes to School (MAPS-SRTS) instrument
Ganzar, L. A., Burford, K., Salvo, D., Spoon, C., Sallis, J. F., & Hoelscher, D. M. (2024). Development, scoring, and reliability for the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes for Safe Routes to School (MAPS-SRTS) instrument. BMC public health, 24(1), 1-13.
Association of Walking and Biking to School Policies and Active Commuting to School in Children
Ganzar, LA, Burford, K, Zhang, Y, Gressett, A, Kohl, HW., & Hoelscher. DM.. (2023). Association of Walking and Biking to School Policies and Active Commuting to School in Children. Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
Incorporating equity into active commuting to school infrastructure projects: A case study
Ganzar, L.A., Bentley, S.S., Salvo, D., Durand, C.P., Anderson, A., et al. (2022). Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 112, 103493.
Longitudinal changes in objectively-measured physical activity and sedentary time among school-age children in central Texas, US during the COVID-19 pandemic
Ganzar, L. A., Salvo, D., Burford, K., Zhang, Y., Kohl, H. W., 3rd, & Hoelscher, D. M. (2022). The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 19(1), 56.
Effects of Large-Scale Municipal Safe Routes to School Infrastructure on Student Active Travel and Physical Activity: Design, Methods, and Baseline Data of the Safe Travel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools (STREETS) Natural Experiment
Hoelscher, D. M., Ganzar, L. A., Salvo, D., Kohl, H. W., III, Pérez, A., Brown, H. S., Bentley, S. S., Dooley, E. E., Emamian, A., & Durand, C. P. (2022). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1810. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031810 PMCID: PMC8834930
School-Level Economic Disparities in Police-Reported Crimes and Active Commuting to School.
Burford, K.; Ganzar, L.A.; Lanza, K.; Kohl, H.W., III; Hoelscher, D.M. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 10885. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010885) PMCID: PMC8535774
Examination of Neighborhood and Perceived Traffic-Related Safety Factors Associated with Active Commuting to School in a Large Urban City.
Burford, K.; Salvo, D.; Kohl, H.; Ganzar, L.A.; Bauer, C.; Resendiz, E.; Zhang, Y.; Hoelscher, D. (2025) Active Living Conference.
Association between Parental Perceptions and Active Commuting to School in Children.
Swinney, K.; Zhang, Y.; Ganzar, L.A.; Perez, A.; Salvo, D.; Bentley, S.; Hoelscher, D.M. TEXPOP 2025
Methods for Developing and Assessing Reliability of a Micro-Scale, Built Environment Audit Tool for Research and Evaluation of Active Commuting to School.
Ganzar, L.A., DrPH, MPH; Burford, K., PhD; Salvo, D., PhD; Spoon, C.; Sallis, J.F., PhD; Hoelscher, D.M., PhD, RDN, LD, CNS, FISBNPA. Active Living Conference 2025.
Associations of COVID-19-related Changes across Domains of Children’s Physical Activity and Demographic Characteristics
Ganzar LA, Salvo D, Kohl HK, Hoelscher DM. Poster presentation at St. David's CHPR Conference, Virtual, February 21, 2021
Evaluating the Impact of the Safe Routes to School Infrastructure on Active Commuting in Central Texas Schools.
Hoelscher, D. (Presenter); Zhang, Y.; Ganzar, L.A.; Lanza, K.; Salvo, D.; Bentley, S.; Pérez, A. Active Living Conference 2025.
Parent Self-Efficacy for Child Active Commuting Score is Associated with Child School Commute Habits.
Swinney, K.; Zhang, Y.; Pérez, A.; Salvo, D.; Ganzar, L.A.; Hoelscher, D.M. Active Living Conference 2025.
Taking it to the STREETS: Evaluating health effects of Safe Routes to School infrastructure changes in Austin, Texas
In coordination with the approaching Bike to School day on May 5, 2021, this webinar will highlight the importance of active travel to school, and a current Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative.
