Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze the current traffic problems and the effects to the school children of an elementary school in Yamaguchi City. The part 1 is based on surveys of the traffic volume and the children during the certain times in the morning and in the afternoon on their ways to and from school. For those children, the route-to/from-school is an important part of their living environment. However, considering the current rapid growth of traffic volume in the district, those children are forced to face the various negative influences by automobiles.
The followings are the points of findings from the survey :
1) Crosswalks in Intersection : The dangerous factors noted are; a) concentration of motor traffic, b) movements of pedestrian and motor vehicles and c) insufficient traffic equipment, such as traffic light, etc.
2) Motor Vehicles in School-Zone : Observed heavy traffic condition was the another dangerous factor for the school children. And the school-zone as means of controlling traffic for children were not effective in here.
3) Effects to the School Children : The traffic volume caused those children's forming groups; School children's groups were formed while they were walking on the street with small traffic and those groups were smaller on the street with heavy traffic. There were some children avoiding the route appointed by the school because of the traffic condition of the route and other reasons.
