Sponsored by the ITE Pedestrian and Bicycle Council, this workshop explored the current research on the public health benefits of active transportation and its role in project planning and design. James Sallis, professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California in San Diego, CA, made a compelling case for incorporating active transportation into planning, as he cited studies that showed a correlation between obesity and the amount of miles a person drives in a vehicle as well as the correlation between weight gain and the amount of bike riding a person does. One study examined children’s weight in correlation with their proximity to a busy road. Over eight years, the children who lived near a busy road gained more weight than children who did not. Sallis showed studies indicating that obesity is lower in countries with more walking, transit use, and bicycling.
In the United States, there is great potential to increase active transportation. Currently only 1 percent of transportation funding is spent on bicycle and pedestrian transportation projects in the United States. Sallis showed examples of easy to implement projects being done in Odense, Denmark, which is striving to be the National Cycling City of Denmark. These projects are helping bicyclists feel safe and respected on the road, and have led to a dramatic increase in bicycling in the city. Sallis also cited examples of improvements in New York City, where bicycling has increased 262 percent as a result.