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Better bike network would cut obesity, says Sustrans

Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Bicycle, Cycling, Cycling infrastructure

betterbikenetwork-280-80.jpgObesity levels will continue to soar unless transport planners follow groundbreaking guidance encouraging walking and cycling as physical activity, UK cycling charity Sustrans says.

Sustrans has applauded the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for recommending that cyclists and pedestrians should be given priority in planning and building towns and cities.

The NICE recommendations include the creation of comprehensive walking and cycling networks, to help people lead a healthy, active life, along with restricting motor vehicle access, the reallocation of road space, and road-user charging. 

This is the first time NICE has drawn up recommendations aimed at land use and transport planners; the guidance was developed by a panel of independent experts including Sustrans.

Now Sustrans is calling on the Department for Transport and local authorities to act on the guidance.

Malcolm Shepherd, Sustrans’ operations director, said: “These are excellent recommendations from NICE, addressing the conflict between the Government’s wish to promote healthy living and a transport and planning system which deters people from walking and cycling.

“Everything NICE recommends as health promoting will also help address climate change and make urban areas more people friendly and livable. This guidance should be the final argument convincing the transport sector of the role they play in enabling people to lead healthy lifestyles, and to make walking and cycling the first priority for all local trips.”

Today’s guidance follows the Foresight Report in October, which put the potential cost of the obesity epidemic to the UK by 2050 at more than £45billion a year - almost half the NHS budget.

The complete guidance can be viewed here.

January 30th, 2008


3 Responses to “Better bike network would cut obesity, says Sustrans”

  1. Andy Polaine Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 8:03 am

    This report is two of your pet peeves in perfect harmony!

    Even better, make the car network worse and the bike network better. In London, since the congestion tax, many more people seem to be cycling, especially with fold-up Bromptons. Not going there all that often I really noticed the difference about a year ago. I think it also became trendy, but the fact that fewer cars were choking up both the streets and the air seemed to make a difference.

  2. David Hembrow Says:
    September 8th, 2008 at 10:23 am

    Unfortunately, even the Manual For Streets seems to have got this wrong. There’s an article written by Steve Melia which points out that the concept of permeability adopted by the manual is that of the American model which encourages driving, not similar to that adopted in most Northern European countries which encourages people not to drive.

    Both old and new housing developments here are more permeable by bike or foot than by car. For instance, the estate we live on was built in the 1970s and has 7 exits by bike vs. two by car (both car exits have traffic lights, only one of the bike exits does).

    The only development in Cambridge which was designed on anything like these lines was Kings Hedges - it’s not been repeated since.

  3. David Hembrow Says:
    September 8th, 2008 at 11:10 am

    Ah, and I should have posted this link about how the Dutch and Danes are kept thin by cycling.

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