Healthier transportation activities

 Walking and cycling are activities that correlate to healthier mental and physical lifestyles. Personally, walking is my main source of exercise each day. Walking provides me with exercise, fresh air, socialising, and time to organize and gather my ideas. There is something about being connected to the outdoors, experiencing natural light, breathing fresh air, and generating heat that just makes us feel a little better. Reading through the article, “Improving health through policies that promote active travel: A review of evidence to support integrated health impact assessment”, some of the articles made me further think about my first statement. The paper states that walking and cycling rates are higher in places where policies encourage such activities. Such policies do not always target walking and cycling, but rather discourage the use of cars. Therefore policies that promote public transport or road and parking pricing tend to indirectly impact walking and cycling. Another key takeaway from the article is that land use and the built environment play a huge role in our travel behavior. Land use mix has been associated with more walking, cycling, use of public transportation and less substance driven. Having stores, restaurants, offices and parks nearby will play a huge role as to what method of transportation you use. Better infrastructure, such as better sidewalks, crosswalks, signaling, and lighting invite people to walk. 

Now, you may be wondering: how do all of the policies mentioned above impact health? Well “Studies have linked directly walkable neighborhoods to the physical and mental health of its residents. Access to green space has been shown to improve health, particularly mental health and quality of life” ( De Nazelle et Al). Walking increases physical activity and fosters social interaction with other members in the community. On the other hand, auto use imposes threats to physical and mental health, as it links to annoyance, sleep disturbance, myocardial infarction, and a lack of physical mobility. Overall policies that directly or indirectly promote the use of public transit, walking, and cycling have a direct impact on health and overall physical mobility. 

By Manuel Suarez Pallas

Edited by Asif Haque

Source: De Nazelle, Audrey, et al. “Improving Health through Policies That Promote Active Travel: A Review of Evidence to Support Integrated Health Impact Assessment.” Environment International, vol. 37, no. 4, 2011, pp. 766–777.