Children way of travelling to school in towns outside the capital area in Iceland : does the highway affect?

• Main Authors: Hreinsdóttir, Erna Bára, Kristjánsdóttir, Sigríður, Sigþórsson, Haraldur
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration 2018
• Subjects: Public Administration Studies; Studier av offentlig förvaltning; Reykjavík; Iceland
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:vti:diva-12928

Over the last decades the car has become an increasingly bigger part of Icelanders lives. SometimesIcelanders say that they use the private car instead of a coat. In modern planning some of the main goalsare sustainability and public health. By using other means of travel than the private car, pollution willdecrease and the need to rebuild traffic infrastructure is less likely. Active lifestyle also contributes tohealth. The government as well as many local authorities motivate citizens for a healthier lifestyle, forexample by encouraging them to use an active mode of travel, such as walking or cycling. This shouldresult in improved wellbeing and the costs of health care should be reduced. To implement active travelthe focus is on children and how they get to school. In Reykjavík the public schools are often situatedin the middle of the neighbourhood so children do not need to cross roads with heavy traffic on theirway to school. Furthermore, children in Reykjavík usually do not have to travel over 800m for school.A study shows that 84% of school children in Reykjavík walk or cycle to school. But how is the situationin smaller towns in other parts of Iceland?