Objectives. School route measurement often involves estimating the shortest network path. We challenged the relatively uncritical adoption of this method in school travel research and tested the route discordance hypothesis that several types of difference exist between shortest network paths and reported school routes.
Methods. We constructed the mapped and shortest path through network routes for a sample of 759 children aged 9 to 13 years in grades 5 and 6 (boys = 45%, girls = 54%, unreported gender = 1%), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to compare reported with shortest-path route measures including distance, route directness, intersection crossings, and route overlap. Measurement difference was explored by mode and location.
Results. We found statistical evidence of route discordance for walkers and children who were driven and detected it more often for inner suburban cases. Evidence of route discordance varied by mode and school location.
Conclusions. We found statistically significant differences for route structure and built environment variables measured along reported and geographic information systems–based shortest-path school routes. Uncertainty produced by the shortest-path approach challenges its conceptual and empirical validity in school travel research.
- Ron N. Buliung is with the Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and the University of Toronto Cities Centre. Kristian Larsen is with the Program in Planning, University of Toronto St. George. Guy E. J. Faulkner is with the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto St. George. At the time of the study, Michelle R. Stone was with the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto St. George.
