Monday, May 28, 2012

Active Transportation Choices and Health in Toronto

Road to Health: Improving Walking and Cycling in Toronto (109 page pdf, Toronto Public Health, April 2012)

Today, we look at a report on Toronto that examines how walking and cycling as active transportation modes benefit health and how much more improvement could be achieved if both forms were optimized. Estimated benefits are over 129 fewer deaths/year and $475 M/year which could be doubled by choosing active transportation modes to only match the active transportation statistics in Vancouver which has both fewer collisions and deaths and higher modal statistics than Toronto. Many options could be pursued from the range of best practices presented, such as Traffic Demand Management to reduce traffic speed and
 collisions that make walking and cycling a safer choice.
 

   


Key Quotes:

“this report synthesizes evidence on health benefits and risks associated with walking, cycling and physical activity related to the use of public transit, as well as economic assessments and specific strategies to increase the use and safety of active transportation in Toronto.”

“About 55% of all trips in Toronto are less than 7 km, and are therefore very conducive to cycling. Over 20% of all trips are under 2 km and therefore very walkable.. cycling is almost as fast as driving for trips of 7 km in urban areas, and walking is generally as fast as driving for trips of 500 m and less”

 “30% of collisions happen mid-block (primarily related to collisions with car doors) and may be linked to inadequate separation of cyclists from motor vehicles… Elderly pedestrians are most likely to be killed in collisions with vehicles; children and residents of low-income neighbourhoods may also be particularly at risk of injury when walking and cycling”

 “Current levels of active transportation are estimated to prevent about 120 deaths per year in the Toronto population. This mortality reduction alone can be associated with over $475 million in economic benefits.. By achieving Vancouver and Portland’s walking and cycling commuting mode shares (12% and 6%, respectively), Toronto could prevent an estimated 100 additional deaths each year”

 “At least 21% of all trips could be made using walking, and 55% of all trips in Toronto could be made by cycling. Toronto’s median commute distance of 7.5 km further indicates that half of all trips to work could be made using active transportation”

 “47% of collisions between pedestrians and motor-vehicles could be prevented through improved safety at intersections in Toronto. 37% of collisions between cyclists and motor vehicles could be prevented through improved safety at intersections… New York City plans to redesign almost 100 km of streets for greater pedestrian safety as part of their goal of reducing fatalities by 50% ”
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