Princeton High classes survey how students get to school

Issues range from a shortage of parking spaces to need for more bicycle-friendly routes

By: Olivia Tattory
   Three bioethics classes from Princeton High School have conducted a survey of how high school students travel to and from school and the environmental impact of that transportation. .
   Under the instruction of Andrea Panagakis, who has been teaching the course for seven years, 78 students created a survey for the lab cycle portion of the bioethics course that included data collection and analysis. The study was inspired by a 2005 school transportation survey by the Princeton Township Sidewalk and Bikeway Advisory Committee on how students travel to and from middle and elementary schools in Princeton Township.
   After discussing concerns about school parking for students, the survey was formulated to include environmental issues with a focus on public service, also topics of class discussion.
   "After brainstorming ideas to use in a survey, I thought an environmental topic would be a great way to unite the class," said Ms. Panagakis. "Many things are too controversial — but the environment is something most want to work toward bettering."
   Student parking, or lack thereof, has always been a popular area of discussion among students, so finding out exactly how people get to school, the environmental impact of each form of transportation and why those forms of transportation were selected were the basis of the survey.
   The student’s gave a short introduction of the survey and collected the questionnaires at the conclusion of the homeroom period. Out of a total of 1,320 students in the school, the class received a total of 1,026 surveys. Some of the surveys however were not used because the answers were not considered serious. The questions listed were designed to make the survey easy and understandable for the recipients, explained Ms. Panagakis.
   The students organized their conclusions and analysis into three parts. The first was listed as type of vehicle and carpooling options. As a result of the responses, the students determined that the parking problems at the high school could be alleviated if more people carpooled.
   The number of midsize cars, trucks, vans and SUVs proved that there is room in the vehicles to carpool, the class concluded. A concern however was provisional drivers license regulations for those under 17 years old. It was unclear how many students follow those regulations, but drivers with the provisional license can only have one non-family member in the car at any time.
   The second part, mode of transportation and grade level, drew many interesting conclusions, according to the class. The questionnaire responses showed the most common modes of transportation for high school students were cars and school buses. Responses also showed more students drive cars to school in the winter than they do in the fall and spring. The percentage of students who take the bus each day stayed about the same in the spring and fall months and in the winter.
   The third section explored the barriers students feel that keep them from walking or bicycling to school. According to the survey, the results indicate that more students would be willing to walk or bicycle than currently do. The students suggested more bike paths, "clearer" sidewalks or even incentives as ways to encourage people to change their mode of travel.
   For Megan Palagyi, a student who participated in the bioethics lab, the effort to explore other means of transportation is something that is very important. Ms. Palagyi was hit by a car while riding her bike in August, 2005. Not only did she spend a week in the hospital and another week in rehabilitation, but she also missed three months of school.
   "The towns don’t make the developers make sidewalks that connect the different parts of town," said Ms. Palagyi. "This makes it really hard for people, especially young children, to be safe and either ride a bike or walk places."