Health

Most people underestimate the effect of walking on health a great deal. Considering that the human body has developped under conditions where walking was necessary to survivie, it seems normal that we ale ill if we don't walk, or we most likely become ill if we don't walk. The World Health Organisation WHO recommends at least one half hour per day of physical activity such as brisk walking. For different activities on Transport and Health see: WHO: Transport and Health

and the network HEPA (Health-Enhancing Physical Activity).

Walking is healthy for all!

(brochure by the British Ramblers' Association)

We need an Environment which is good for Walking

It is not enough to tell everyone that walking is healthy. We need cities, towns and landscapes that are inviting to do so. The (British) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published a brochure on Promoting and creating built or natural environments that encourage and support physical activity (unfortunately not very specific and without illustrations.)

Download Brochure (pdf / 304.6 KB)

More information you find here

Walking is faster than a rocket to the moon

Studies have shown that the expectation of life is 2 to 9 years longer (depending on pre-disposition for cario-vascular diseases) for people who walk at least half an hour per day as compared to inactive persons.
Let's make a small calculation: If a person walks half an hour per day from the age of 24 to the age of 72, this person has walked in these 48 years for exactly one year. During this one year (two years if you add the necessary sleeping and eating time) this person has prolonged his or her expectation of life by an average of 5 years, i.e. more than twice the time used for walking. This means that you gain more than a minute by each minute you walk. Thus, walking is one of the fastest mode of transport because you gain time instead of loosing time as with most other modes. Only swimming an possibly cycling are even faster.

Links and more publications:

Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe:
http://www.euro.who.int/document/e83338.pdf
If all that is done for the children, cetainly all pedestrians will be better off!

Walking for Health is becoming more and more popular (and more urgent). For examples what to do, see the case of WHI in England and Wales:
http://www.whi.org.uk/index.asp

A scientific approach to the issue you find in the paper Integrating Public Health Objectives in Transportation Decision Making which you find here:
http://www.vtpi.org/AJHP-litman.pdf

Leaflet on particule matter (PM10) distributed at the international Walk21 conference in Zurich, Switzerland 2005 (pdf / 948.3 KB)

Many papers on health by authors from different countries
you find on the search-page of the walk21-website