Active school transportation and the built environment across Canadian cities: Findings from the child active transportation safety and the environment (CHASE) study.

Walking and bicycling to school (active school transportation, AST) has been in decline for decades in North America and globally with the rise of automobility. This cross-sectional study estimated associations between the built environment and AST in seven Canadian communities. We observed the travel behaviours of almost 118,000 students at 552 schools. Using beta regression, we modeled the proportion of children using AST, considering built environment and social environment factors around schools. Across all schools, the average proportion of children using AST was 54.3% (SD 18.9%), with variability among cities from a low of 39.5% (SD 22.1%) in Laval, Quebec to 69.7% (SD 18.1%) in Montreal, Quebec. Overall, several modifiable road design features were associated with AST, including the presence of school crossing guards, cycling infrastructure, Walk Score® and traffic signal density. There was variability in the directionality and statistical significance of associations with design variables across cities, suggesting that the local context and directed local interventions are important to support AST. Natural experiment studies are necessary to examine local approaches related to the built environment to increase AST and ensure appropriate new policy and program interventions are developed.

The Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety (Can-BICS) Classification System: A common naming convention for cycling infrastructure. / Système de classification du confort et de la sécurité des voies cyclables canadiennes (Can-BICS) : convention d'appellation commune des aménagements cyclables.

There is no standard naming convention for cycling infrastructure across cities. Our aim was to develop a common nomenclature for cycling infrastructure in Canada, relevant to the context of public health practice. We drew on transportation engineering design guides and public health guidance to develop a bicycle facility classification system: the Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety (Can-BICS) classification system, a three-tiered classification scheme that groups five bicycle facilities based on safety performance and user comfort. Adopting consistent nomenclature as per the Can-BICS system will support regional and national surveillance efforts in public health, planning and sustainability.

A common nomenclature for cycling infrastructure in Canada is needed to further public health surveillance efforts on activetransportation environments. The Can-BICS system is a threetiered cycling infrastructure classification system that reflects the safety performance and user comfort of five bicycle facility types. High-comfort bikeways are lowstress routes. These bikeways include cycle tracks on major streets, local street bikeways and cycle-only off-street paths. Medium-comfort bikeways are low-to-medium stress routes. These bikeways include multi-use paths sited next to a roadway or along independent corridors. Low-comfort bikeways are highstress routes. These bikeways include painted bike lanes along busy roadways.

Il est nécessaire d'établir une nomenclature commune pour les aménagements cyclables au Canada afin d'améliorer les mesures de surveillance en santé publique en matière de milieux de transport actif. Le système Can-BICS est un système de classification des amé- nagements cyclables à trois niveaux qui définit le degré de sécurité et le confort pour les usagers de cinq types d'aménagement cyclable. Les voies cyclables très confortables sont peu stressantes : ce sont principalement les pistes cyclables sur chaussée longeant les rues principales, les voies cyclables dans les rues secondaires (« vélorues ¼) et les pistes en site propre. Les voies cyclables moyennement confortables sont peu ou moyennement stressantes : ce sont principalement les sentiers polyvalents longeant une chaussée ou formant un corridor indépendant. Les voies cyclables peu confortables sont très stressantes : ce sont principalement les bandes cyclables peintes au sol sur des routes achalandées.

Helmet Use Among Personal Bicycle Riders and Bike Share Users in Vancouver, BC.

INTRODUCTION: Public bike share users have low prevalence of helmet use, and few public bike share systems make helmets available. In summer 2016, a public bike share system launched in Vancouver, BC. Each bicycle is equipped with a free helmet, in response to BC's all-ages compulsory helmet law. This study assessed the prevalence of helmet use among adult cyclists on personal and public bicycles in Vancouver. METHODS: A survey of adult cyclists (age estimated at ≥16 years) at five screen line sites and at 15 public bike share docking stations was conducted. Observations were made on fair weather days in 2016. Observers recorded the gender of the rider, bicycle type, helmet use, and helmet type. In 2016, multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of helmet use by personal and trip characteristics. RESULTS: Observers conducted 87.5 hours of observation and recorded 11,101 cyclists. They observed 10,704 (96.4%) cyclists on personal bicycles and 397 (3.6%) public bicycle users. Overall, the prevalence of helmet use was 78.1% (n=8,670/11,101), higher for personal bicycle riders (78.6%, n=8,416/10,704) than bike share users (64.0%, n=254/397). Helmet use was associated with gender, bicycle facility type, and day and time of travel. CONCLUSIONS: In a city with all-ages helmet legislation, helmet use is high but differs across infrastructure types and cyclist characteristics. Bike share systems could increase helmet use by providing complementary helmets coupled with supportive measures.