Take action on active travel: public health should be a transport planning priority

Evidence relating transport systems to obesity is described. Countries with the highest levels of active travel have the lowest obesity rates. This is particularly marked in China where men who acquired a vehicle experienced a 1.8kg greater weight gain than those who relied on more active modes of transport. In the UK, there have been a number of policy and other official documents issuing clear guidance that walking and cycling should be prioritised. However the suitability of the environment often determines people's behaviour. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence now issues public health guidance at transport and land use planners, recommending local services easily accessible by walking and cycling, reallocation of road space to active travel, restricting motor vehicle access, road user charging schemes, traffic calming, safe routes to schools, and provision of an extensive network of routes for walking and cycling. Action required by the government and local authorities include targets for growth in active travel, more realistic investment levels, better conditions for walking and cycling, 20mph speed limits for residential streets, reducing bad driving behaviour and a health check on every transport and land use decision. Residents in neighbourhoods classified as highly walkable took more steps than in those where neighbourhoods had low walkability. Research into travel behaviour is described and the impact of the sustainable travel demonstration towns in the UK is examined. This showed that better information about walking and cycling options, more publicity about the advantages of healthy travel and of public transport and some motivational support for these modes could double walking, cycling and public transport use.