Active mobility
Active mobility, active travel, active transport or active transportation, is a form of transport of people and sometimes goods, that only uses the physical activity of the human being for the locomotion. The most known forms of active mobility are walking or cycling, though other mobility means such as the skateboard, kick scooter or roller skates are also a form of active mobility.
Active mobility is part of sustainable mobility, being promoted predominantly in urban environments and within municipal public policies, where greater emphasis is given to the occupation of the public space for esplanades, parks, gardens, public spaces, wider pedestrian spaces and decongested public space road traffic.
Active mobility, with medium security conditions within the mobility options of each individual, proves to be the cheapest, most healthy and practical to a distance of about 5 km. By making use only of the physical strength of the human being, it is also the energetically more efficient. The various forms and means of transportation that make use of active mobility are called active modes.
The academical literature evidences that public policies which promote active mobility tend to increase health indicators by increasing the levels of physical fitness and reducing the rates of obesity and diabetes, whilst also reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and consequent particulates, Nitrous Oxide and Carbon emissions.
Health and environment
Serious health and environmental problems especially global climate change due to fossil fuel usage, and the continued increase in obesity are a current political concern. A House of Commons of the United Kingdom Health Committee report into Obesity in 2004 recommended promoting and facilitating cycling and walking as key components of an integrated anti-obesity strategy, suggesting “physical activity incorporated into the fabric of everyday life”. Public Health England estimated in 2016 that in the UK, physical inactivity directly contributes to one in six deaths every year. The PHE report notes that including walking and cycling to daily routines is the most effective way to increase physical activity and reduce levels of obesity, as well as prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and several mental illnesses, including depression.
Studies have shown that the recent global increase in levels of obesity can be attributed to the decrease in physical activity by children and adults. This is also as a result of an increase in more sedentary forms of leisure (TV, video games) and to low levels of walking and cycling. Correlational studies have shown that across socio-economic groupings in the UK caloric intake does not vary significantly, whereas activity levels and BMI do, and are closely correlated to each other.
The US Centers for Disease Control has also recommended increasing access to active transportation.
Featured factors
Research has shown that the recent global increase in the level of obesity can be attributed to the reduction of physical activity between adults and children. This is also due to a global spread of sedentary forms of entertainment (TV and video games) but also to the scarcity of walking and cycling. Moreover, correlated studies have shown that among caloric socio-economic groups in the United Kingdom, calorie consumption does not vary significantly, in contrast to the level of physical activity and body mass index that are closely related to one another.
Results
As a consequence of all this a recent movement has emerged led by environmental and public health activists who support actions linked to the promotion of active travel and the stimulation of walking and cycling in order to make both activities more attractive. The focus is on the fact that these means of transport can in many cases replace the car for short daily journeys to school, shops, public services and so on. In order to facilitate this, local authorities should invest in ensuring that safe journeys are available in many locations (road hazards are often cited as the main cause that restricts bicycle use).
Call back to action
In 2008, the British Association of Public Health Directors with Sustrans, CTC, Ramblers and other agencies launched a campaign to attract Active Travel. The result of these initiatives was the development of clear objectives for local planning and road authorities. If pursued, these goals could have an effective reaction to the constant increase in the problem of obesity and contribute to the reduction of CO 2 emissions.
speed limit of 32 km / h in residential areas
Qualitative network of cycle paths to create daily connections between various destinations
more training for drivers and the extension of an effective road code
ambitious targets in order to facilitate walking and cycling
In 2012, Polis, a network of European cities and regions, published a manifesto calling the main European institutions and representatives to action to ensure that the promotion of the numerous health benefits of active travel were maximized in all policies and programs. Europeans. The recommendations translate into references to the journey found in the numerous documents relating to European policies on the theme of “health”. Active travel should in fact become the basis of many shared objectives, policies, work programs and investments in the development of physical activity, in particular walking and cycling.
Specific solicitations concern:
the identification of a leader operating in the active journey and physical fitness within the European Commission
the stimulation of shareholders in the health, transport and environmental sectors to learn and explore the opportunities deriving from European initiatives
the internalisation of external costs in transport, in order to ensure that all health costs are taken into account, including those of physical inactivity
the estimation of transport development plans and policies should consider the economic dimension of physical activity and evaluate the long-term savings that could be generated in terms of health costs and environmental benefits
institutions at European level could consider financing activities to achieve the objectives and ensure the realization of the major advantages of the active travel in Europe
Mobility policies
Public policies that promote active mobility bring benefits in the reduction of pollutant and greenhouse gases and noise emitted in locomotion of motorized vehicles; benefits for public health, [ 1 ] [ 2 ] lower road fatalities, [ 1 ] greater effect of community cohesion in housing districts [ 1 ] and a positive impact on the economy [ 3 ] [ 4 ] with greater energy efficiencyin the area of transport and the reduction of costs of mobility of families. [ 5 ]
The positive aspects of public policies that promote active mobility can be enumerated.
Air pollution
One of the major problems facing large cities is the high rate of pollutant gases in the atmosphere (CO, NOx, SOx, various hydrocarbons, particulate matter and many others), as there are normally large concentrations of motor vehicles in large cities of internal combustion. The adoption of measures that discourage the use of the car favors a significant improvement of the air quality in the cities. [ 6 ]
Sound pollution
Encouraging active mobility favors the reduction of noise pollution, since both bicycles and walking, emit significantly less noise than that produced by vehicles with combustion engines. [ 7 ]
Unoccupied public space
Active mobility, by replacing travel by car, liberates public space, which can be occupied by gardens, squares, or even commercial spaces such as esplanades.
Public health
Active mobility, by replacing travel by car with active modes where physical effort is required of the user, substantially improves the physical well-being and health of the people who adopt it. It should be noted that, for example, the main cause of death in Portugal is cardiovascular diseases, in which physical exercise is a crucial factor in their prevention. [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
Economy
A large number of Western countries are energy-poor, allocating many financial resources for the import of fossil fuels, and this effect is evident in their trade balances. Another large part of countries, such as Portugal, does not have a national capital car industry, forcing the massive importation of motor vehicles. The particular costs of the car have relatively high individual incomes, and may in some cases reach half of them, forcing the motorist consumer to allocate financial resources to satisfy the needs of the car, for example by avoiding the purchase of local or national products. [ 4 ]
Responses from the public administrations
In response to the high level of sedentarian life-style and automobile usage which have negative environmental and health effects, a recent movement has emerged led by public health and environmental campaigners to advocate for stronger policies and practices that promote active travel, and make cycling and walking safer and more attractive. The intention being that these modes could in many instances replace car usage for everyday journeys to school, shops, public services etc. To facilitate this would require local planning and highway authorities to invest in ensuring safe routes are available to these destinations (danger from other road traffic is frequently cited as the primary reason for not cycling). In many areas the current focus of development for cycle provision is on isolated leisure trails, resulting in highly fragmented cycle routes and pavements/sidewalks, which do not link effectively to everyday destinations.
Europe
In 2012 Polis, a network of European cities and regions, published a position paper that calls upon European institutions and other European actors to take action, to ensure that the promotion of health benefits of active travel are maximised in all relevant European policies and programmes. Recommendation are based on references in European policy documents to improving health through active travel which should form the basis of shared objectives, policies, work programmes and investment to increase levels of walking and cycling.
Specific recommendations include:
Clearly identifying a leader for the work on active travel and health in the European Commission.
Consulting stakeholders from the health, environment and transport sectors to explore the opportunity of European initiatives.
Internalisation of external costs in transport aimed at ensuring that all health costs are taken into account, including physical inactivity.
Taking the economic dimension of active mobility, and the long-term savings it can generate in healthcare costs and environmental benefits, systematically into consideration when appraising transport and urban development plans and policies.
Institutions at the European level may wish consider funding activities to securing the benefits of active travel in Europe.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, for example, over 50% of car journeys are under 5 km, which in theory, could be replaced by active mobility means.
In 2008, the UK Association of Directors of Public Health, with Sustrans, CTC, The Ramblers and other agencies, launched a Call to Action on Active Travel. This sets out a number of clear goals for local planning and highway authorities. If achieved, these goals could mark an effective response to the steadily increasing problem of obesity, and also help reduce carbon emissions. However, the process for monitoring progress towards these goals (beyond anecdotal good-news stories) and holding councils to account for their performance, is weak, and threatens to undermine progress towards the goals:
A 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit to be made the norm in residential areas
A coherent high quality network of cycle routes that link everyday destinations
Improved driver training and better-enforced traffic laws
Ambitious official targets to be set for increases in walking and cycling
Wales
The Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 became law in Wales in 2013. The Act requires local authorities to continuously improve facilities and routes for pedestrians and cyclists and to prepare maps identifying current and potential future routes for their use. It also requires new road schemes (including road improvement) to consider the needs of pedestrians and cyclists at design stage.
Source from Wikipedia