Even in America, where our mental image is of a society dominated by the car, there is compelling evidence that public transport is good for you.  A study released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows that people who live in communities with extensive public transport networks exercise more, live longer, and are generally healthier than people in automobile-dependent communities.

“Use of public transit simply means that you walk more which increases fitness levels and leads to healthier citizens. More importantly, increasing use of public transit may be the most effective traffic safety counter measure a community can employ,” says APTA president William Millar

In the UK, the Cabinet Office produced a report at the end of 2009 which estimated the costs of urban congestion at between £38bn – £48bn per year, of which around half had direct health related impacts – accidents, pollution and physical inactivity.  This further reinforces the notion that public transport’s impacts are wider than the traditional aspects of environmental and economic gain. 

Put together with the American research, this should strengthen the case for a more holistic look at the benefits of public transport and why it’s important for health and transport professional to work together.  This is a subject we’ll be looking at for pteg shortly.