B02

Research Abstracts on Spatial Information ScienceCSIS DAYS 2007

School Choice and Student Travel Behaviour
Fatemeh Ahmadi Nejad Masouleh, Yuji Murayama
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Division of Spatial Information Science, University of Tsukuba
Contact address: <f_ahmadinejad2000@yahoo.com>

modes for the students and highlights the dangersof the long journey in a case study of four
governmental female junior high (GFJH) schools ofthe studied city.
(3) Methodology: To provide essential data for theresearch, 1096 questionnaires were distributed to allstudents attending four sample GFJH schools.
Arc/Info was used for mapping and analyzing theresults.
(4) Conclusion: The open enrollment policy in thestudy area is leading majority of the students toschools outside the local areas, also longer thannecessary commutes, and increased motorizedcommutes. Given the serious inconveniences
involved in the daily travels the research concluded
that Rasht city is in serious need of delineation ofschool attendance areas.

(1) Introduction: School choice can lead to choosing aschool beyond neighborhood boundaries, and inturn can result in either longer than necessary
walking distance to schools or motorized commutes.
In addition to less physical activities and social
practices for children, motorized commutes also
threaten the safety of daily travel of students. There
are numerous studies that examined thedisadvantages of school choice on school travel
length, modes, and safety.
(2) Purpose: To contribute to the discussion on thisimportant aspect of school choice, this paper
examined the extent to which school choice resultsin students traveling longer distances thannecessary to schools in the Northern Iranian city ofRasht. The research also attempted to show how theschool choice leads to a variety of transportation

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