Who owns the roads? How motorised traffic discourages walking and bicycling.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the impact of traffic on levels of walking and bicycling.


METHODS
Review of the literature of medical, public health, city planning, public administration and traffic engineering.


RESULTS
The real and perceived danger and discomfort imposed by traffic discourage walking and bicycling. Accurately or not, pedestrians and bicyclists judge injury risk and respond accordingly. Although it can be difficult to measure these effects, observed behaviour provides good evidence for these effects, with the strongest association being an inverse correlation between volumes and speeds of traffic and levels of walking and cycling.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventions to reduce traffic speed and volume are likely to promote walking and bicycling and thus result in public health gains.
Jacobsen
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jacobsen.peter@yahoo.com
Racioppi
F
F
Rutter
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H
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001642:Bicycling; D002958:City Planning / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D016138:Walking