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
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
Sarah.S.Bentley@uth.tmc.edu
512-482-6152
Incorporating Equity into Active Commuting to School Infrastructure Projects: A Case Study
Inequities in Active Travel Infrastructure Coverage 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
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
8/10/22 - STREETS School Stakeholder Interview Qualitative Report
5/21/2022 - Changes in Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior among School-Age Children during COVID-19
4/11/22 - Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating Health Effects of Municipally Funded Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Projects in Austin, Texas
04/08/2021 - School Policies and Active Commuting among Elementary Students: A Dose Response Association
04/08/2021 - Associations of Reported Crime and Children's Active Commuting to School: The Safe TRavel Environments Evaluation in Texas Schools Study (STREETS).
10/17/2019 - Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating the Health Effects of the City of Austin’s Safe Routes to School Program
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
