Why aren't more children walking or biking to school, Heart and Stroke Foundation researchers ask

In Canada, more than half of children aged 5 to 17 get to school by car or bus, a fact that could be contributing to the inactive lifestyle that is linked to rising rates of childhood obesity and early heart problems. Heart and Stroke Foundation-funded researchers, Drs. Guy Faulkner and Ron Buliung at the University of Toronto, are conducting three studies aimed at finding out how they can increase the number of children walking or riding their bikes to school. Their first study will aim to find out what influences parents' decisions about how their kids travel to and from school in the Greater Toronto Area. Their second study will look at the way streets are organized and sidewalks are used, a concept known as the built environment, to find out how that contributes to choices around school transportation. They will then expand the study out across the province"