Transport and health

Physical activity

In developed countries, physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for ill health.
Forms of transport that entail physical activity, such as cycling and walking, separately or in conjunction with public transport, offer significant positive health gains. Planning and decision-making, however, have often overlooked them.
Over 30% of car journeys in Europe cover distances of less than 3 km; 50% cover less than 5 km. These distances can be covered within 15–20 minutes by bicycle or 30–50 minutes by brisk walking.
In the EU, many trips are short and most of them are made by car. This contributes to over 30% of adults being insufficiently active during a typical week, and to a prevalence of obesity that increased by 10–40% between the late 1980s and the late 1990s