Just how safe is a child’s walk to school?

Besides cost, convenience is one of the major factors people consider when choosing their place of residence. This is where the Walk Score comes in, which offers a score for neighbourhoods around the world based on intersection density, block length, population density and proximity to services like schools, grocery stores, restaurants and retail options. For example, TMU’s neighbourhood in downtown Toronto has a Walk Score of 99 out of 100, because errands can be completed without a car. It is also considered a transit paradise with a perfect score of 100 and has a 94 score for cycling.

Walk Score is currently focused on accessibility by foot and there is research confirming that a high Walk Score is related to more adults walking in a neighbourhood.  However, when it comes to pedestrian safety – especially for  children walking to school – new research from Professor Linda Rothman in TMU’s School of Occupational and Public Health indicates that it is important to note that this score is only relevant for walking accessibility for adults and it is important to not assume that this score is related to safety.  

“The Walk Score has historically been associated with accessibility based on walking, especially for adults, but little work has been done to see how it relates to safety in terms of police-reported pedestrian collisions” said Rothman. 

Rothman’s study, done in conjunction with Professor Alison Macpherson at York University and researchers from University of Calgary, The Hospital for Sick Children and the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique was published in the Injury Prevention Journal (external link)  earlier this summer. It examined the association between Walk Score and child pedestrian injuries in school zones in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Data was collected as part of the Canadian Institute of Health Research program called CHild Active-transportation Safety and the Environment (CHASE)

“While people think a walkable neighbourhood means it's safe, some studies have found that a higher Walk Score was associated with a greater number of pedestrian collisions in general, likely due to more people walking in that area,” she said.

The study explored the number of pedestrian collisions involving children specifically and how those were related to the Walk Score of areas around public elementary schools.  

Overall across the cities, the study found that the Walk Score was associated with higher pedestrian collisions for children. Things like intersection density that factor into a high Walk Score have been related in previous work to more pedestrian collisions injury in children.

For those house hunting, Rothman has some recommendations: “You should not assume a high Walk Score means a safer area,” she said. “We know that road features designed to reduce speed, such as  traffic calming zones and lower speed limits are all strongly associated with safety. These are the road safety features that should be considered when looking for a safe walking neighbourhood for kids, and they are not incorporated into the Walk Score.”

Rothman and Macpherson’s study suggests that it would be helpful to include safety measures in the Walk Score, and that the scores as they exist now should not be relied upon for planning for safe walking to school.