In developed countries, physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for ill health. At individual level, the challenge for many people is how to reintroduce a physically active lifestyle into their lives.

Some facts

• More than 30% of car trips in Europe cover distances of <3 km and 50% of <5 km. These distances can be covered by bicycle within 15-20 minutes or by brisk walking within 30-50 minutes, providing the recommended amount of daily physical activity.
• In the European Union, though many trips are short, most 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.

Cycling and walking as a means of transport, separately or in conjunction with public transport, offer significant positive health gains.

However, these transport modes are not yet fully recognized in planning and decision-making.

The promotion of public transport and safe walking and cycling is crucial for achieving transport that is sustainable for health and the environment. WHO/Europe works towards this objective through the pan-European programme on transport, health and environment (THE PEP), which stresses in particular the potential for health gain from adopting integrated transport and land-use policies. Its main partner is HEPA Europe, the European network for health-enhancing physical activity.