20 July 2015: With school starting back this morning, thousands of Canberrans are loading their kids into the car to get them to the school gate – now University of Canberra researchers are hoping to help make this daily grind a bit smoother.
Assistant professor of urban and regional planning Hitomi Nakanishi is investigating the relationship between Australians' travel preferences for getting children to and from school, after-school care and weekend activities and our choices in employment, school location, time constraints and travel options.
Dr Nakanishi hopes the research will improve our understanding of the complex factors that families face in getting their children to school and hopefully may drive improvements to sustainability, employment policies and urban planning to help make the trip easier for parents.
"What we've learned so far shows balancing work arrangements and the needs of children at different ages is often complicated by restrictive working hours, children's extra-curricular activities, and where their childcare or school is located," Dr Nakanishi said.
Dr Nakanishi said a greater understanding of what appears to be a high-pressure time in a family's daily cycle could also have flow-on implications in health and nutrition, education and workplace planning for employers.
"I'd like to see if there are ways we can suggest new alternatives in urban planning or flexible employment options to help relieve some of the pressure on parents during these very busy times of the day," she said.
Dr Nakanishi got inspiration for the research from when she came to Australia from Japan, saying she noticed an immediate difference in the activity on our roads around schools and it seemed to be all about getting the kids to and from the school gate.
"In Japan, 98 per cent of children above seven years old either walk or cycle to school and occasionally take public transport."
"I was surprised to see the amount of traffic around Australian schools in the mornings and afternoons, so I was interested in discovering why parents here seem to rely on driving to get their children to school and other activities," Dr Nakanishi said.
The researchers have interviewed families in Canberra and are recruiting more participants in Sydney and Melbourne to explore their lifestyles, work and transport needs.
- Hitomi Nakanishi is available for interview
Contact the University of Canberra media team:
Claudia Doman: 0408 826 362
Marcus Butler: 0438 447 810
