masaferoutessurvey.org

masaferoutessurvey.org

Supports Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS)

Enables Data Collection Though

Online & Paper Survey

Administrative Portal for

Survey Management and Reporting

The Massachusetts

Safe Routes to School Program

Partners with schools throughout the Commonwealth to:

Help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution near schools.

Increasing the health, safety, and physical activity of students.

6-question school commute survey

Offered in 9 lanaguges

Online and paper survey available 

Over 47,000 surveys completed by parents as of 2020

The Survey

Automated reporting available 

Evaluating trends in how students and families travel to and from school is a key component to building a successful Safe Routes to School program.

Parent responses to this survey provide valuable information and help determine how we can improve the environment around the school, target investments, track progress toward goals.

Survey Management & Report Generation

Automated Reports

Response Rate

Report Elements

Student Proximity

Overall Mode Choice

GHG Emissions

Mode Choice by Walkshed

Walk Network Example: Alcott Elementary, Concord

School Comparison -- Mapped

Low Walk-to-School Potential

Data Connection Available for Additional Reporting

  • Django
  • Leaflet
  • PostGIS & pgRouting
  • R & LaTeX

Open Source and Transferable

Programming “Stack”

Input files

  • School locations &
  • District designations
  • Pedestrian network
  • Enrollment by grade
  • Survey Responses

Code and more information available at:

Research Project: Neighborhood Characteristics

What neighborhood, route and school characteristics are associated with walking to school?

Research Question​:

Explore More Below

Route

• Land Use Mix

• Industrial Land Use

• Intersections

• Major Roads

• Route Directness

• Population Density

• Median Household Income

School

• Intersection Density

• School Enrollment

• Race/Ethnicity

• English Language Learners

• Low Income Students

• Population Density

• Median Household Income

Research Project: Neighborhood Characteristics

What Did We Look At?

Research Project: Neighborhood Characteristics

Walksheds and Routes

Research Project: Neighborhood Characteristics

Fully Adjusted Model Results Walk To School
Grades 2-4
Grades 5-8
More Drivers Than Cars
At Least One Car per Driver
Distance (miles)
Route Land Use Mix
Major Road on Route
Indirect Pedestrian Route
School Enrollment
School Neighborhood Intersection Density
School Neighborhood Median Household Income

Research Project: Neighborhood Characteristics

Null Model

Research Project: Neighborhood Characteristics

Final Model

Research Project: Neighborhood Characteristics

Future Opportunity: Points to Lines

convert current point level data, respondent travel locations to and from, into line data that represent expected walking routes between locations. 

Goal: 

Enabling targeting investments to routes that have a high potential for mode shifting of student commutes.

Explore More Below

Points to Lines: Example

Using open data and software, MAPC developed a examples of what this analysis would look like.

Blue = Predicted route to school for students that walk

Size = Number of Students

Points to Lines: Example

Red = Predicted route to school for students that don't walk

Points to Lines: Example

Size = Number of Students

Purple = Overlay Of Routes

Color weighted to highlight areas with walkers and potential walkers

Points to Lines: Example

Finding the Walk-to-School “Target Market”

Mode Shift

MA Safe Routes Survey

By MAPC

MA Safe Routes Survey

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