Cycle and walking 'must be norm' for short journeys

kendrafallon

Interesting BBC Article: Cycle and walking 'must be norm' for short journeys

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20499005

Cycling and walking should be the norm for all short journeys, experts say.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said people should shun their cars if a trip could be done in 15 or 20 minutes on foot or bike.

It said the approach was needed to combat the "silent epidemic" of inactivity posing a risk to the health of people in England.

The advisory body called on councils to do more to make walking and cycling an easier option in local communities.

It said their new responsibility for public health, which the NHS will hand over next year under the government's reform programme, offered a "unique opportunity" to make a difference.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said councils should look to introduce bicycle-hire schemes, car-free events and better cycle-route signalling and maps.

Walking routes should also be better highlighted, with signposts indicating the distance and time it takes to walk to local destinations.

Schools and workplaces should also be encouraged to get more pupils and staff cycling and walking.

NICE has previously given its backing to 20mph speed limits in certain areas.
'Costing lives'

The group said local authorities needed to take action, as the levels of inactivity were costing lives.

A recent report in the Lancet said inactivity was now causing as many deaths as smoking.

Latest figures suggest six in 10 men and seven in 10 women are not doing the recommended levels of physical activity.

The figures are little better for children.

In particular, levels of cycling and walking are falling - with England lagging well behind other European countries, such as the Netherlands and Denmark. Only 11 minutes a day on average is spent cycling or walking.

Prof Mike Kelly, from NICE, said: "As a nation, we are not physically active enough and this can contribute to a wide range of health problems."

Dr John Middleton, vice-president of the Faculty of Public Health, said cycling and walking needed to be made an "easy option".

"It's not necessarily about spending more money on transport, but investing existing money in our health by rethinking the way in which budgets are being spent."

Local transport minister Norman Baker added the new duty on councils should make it easier to ensure transport, planning and health officials worked together to help change the way people travel.

"We want to see more people walking and cycling," he added.

PurpleTina

Should be a UK-wide recommendation IMHO, I live in Wales and the lady that works for us drives 400 yards from her house here and back to work every day!!!!! I think it takes her longer to get her car out of the garage and negotiate the traffic than it would to walk (and yes, she is very overweight, constantly in awe of my weight loss but thinks that it's because I 'eat a lot of lettuce' :laugh: ).

BendySpartan

Quite agree, although I will admit to occassionaly driving DD to nursery which is a 20 min walk but only if it is chucking it down!

MrsSWW

I don't drive so I don't have the option, but I am constantly amazed at the small distances people travel by car. On the other side of the coin they are amazed by the fact I walk 45 minutes to the shop and back without even thinking about it. Hey ho, guess who's fitter? :glasses:

helyg

Totally agree.

I live close enough to work (just over a mile) to walk there and back every day, and I walk the children to school at the same time. If I go into town I usually catch the bus, and as the nearest bus stop is half a mile away I walk to that.

People think I'm odd because I walk everywhere, but I think they're odd because they don't!

The ones that amuse me the most are the people who drive what would be a 10 minute walk to get to the gym :huh:

BerryH

For journeys of a mile or two, a car's more hassle and often takes longer anyhow. Even when I'm commuting to work I walk a good half hour a day between home, stations and work, and about the same again at lunchtime. Other than the big weekly supermarket shop (which I incorporate with a visit to my Dad "while the car's out"), I do all my shopping on foot. The minimum charge for a car park where I live is £1.20 for an hour even on Sundays and where roadside parking isn't restricted it's chargeable.

Besides, petrol costs more than Merlot per litre these days!

MarinaPacheco

I also walk as much as I can (not owning a car helps) and it always surprises me quite how far you get in a half hour walk, I certainly cover more distance than I thought I could. Cycling is another matter - the drivers terrify me far to much to take my life in my hands with that. If I can't cycle on the pavement (and we're legally not allowed) then I'm not cycling.

The government will have to do a whole lot more than they are doing to make our towns and cities more walkable and cycle friendly though and I doubt, especially in this current financial climate, that they'll do any more than pay this initiative lip service.

drivermarshy

i cycle 40 mins a day to/from work/gym. a way of life now

Kap10

Until this year I was guilty of the unnecessary car journey. I would often drive to the station, about a mile away, drive round for a parking space and park half way between home and station. or if I were going to the top of the road jump in the car.

The last year MFP has given me (a) Cognitive thinking (b) A conscience. I tend to cycle as much as I can or as I did today walk. I still occaisionally do drive but there will be a good reason, not excuse and this tends to be time or weather related.

I have become slightly less motivated to cycle to the station (hence walking thi morning) following my cycle being stolen a few weeks back and now borrowing one, but at least we can say the criminal fratenity are following BBC advice so they can't be all bad!!!

diadojikohei

I walk my daughter to school 2.5 miles round trip and given the traffic round here it is quicker to walk than drive! But try telling that to my husband (who is ex military but makes me drive him 1 mile to the station because he 'doesn't want to get sweaty')! I drive to work which is .5 of a mile because my children are at different schools 3 miles apart, both finish at 3.30! Driving is the only way I can get them!

drgndancer

I'd love to live in a place where this was an option. The closest stuff to me is about a mile and a half away, and mostly everything is farther than that. On my little cross train bike I could probably get to the closest restaurants in 20 minutes, but I'd be pushing pretty hard to do it.

geebusuk

Saw this earlier.

I've basically been doing this and it's really helped keep the net calories down.

Mostly cycle - found that even a 10 mile trip to Bradford town centre I was as fast as cars for half of it on a Sunday afternoon.
Around my local town it tends to be quicker to cycle.