Transportation: A Public Health Issue

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

If America switched to a non auto-centric transportation system, as much as $402 billion in healthcare costs, not to mention many lives, could be saved. This according to a just-released overview [PDF] of recent studies done by the American Public Health Association. Most Americans are familiar with the tragedy and suffering that occur daily in automobile accidents—making driving far more dangerous statistically than any other motorized travel mode—as well as the negative health effects of our sedentary lifestyles, partly a result of so many neighborhoods being inconducive to walking and biking. Yet researchers have only begun to quantify, in dollar amounts, how much these problems cost America.

It is worth remembering that intercity passenger trains don’t just provide a safer and more enjoyable way to get from city to city; they also catalyze the development of walkable and bikeable neighborhoods, improving public health both by giving people exercise and by reducing air pollution.

This graphic from the report encapsulates the concept well:

—Malcolm Kenton

Posted by Malcolm Kenton

Tags: development, exercise, healthcare, livability, neighborhoods, obesity, passenger trains, public health, smart growth, streets, transportation,

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