Abstract:
The journey to school involves a number of different modes of travel. Approximately
half of all journeys to school in New Zealand rely on the use of an automobile. This
heavy dependence on automobiles involves a number of environmental detractions.
Walking School Buses provide an alternative to cars as a mode of travel for the
journey to school. This mode of travel compares favourably in a number of respects
when compared to other modes of travel and is generating considerable interest.
Based on a case study involving in-depth interviews with ten caregivers this paper
compares whether and how Walking School Buses emerged from a different social
and cultural background when compared to other modes of travel. Four key
influences, in particular parenting culture, the work commitments that caregivers
have, the risks posed by strangers and traffic, and the social fragmentation of
neighbourhoods were found to be significant in shaping the journey to school. Based
on finding a number of similarities between different modes of travel to school it is
concluded that the journey to school is embedded in a wider system of social and
cultural ideas that shape Walking School Buses and other modes of travel alike.
