Active mobility
[1] The best-known forms of active mobility are walking and cycling, though other modes include running, rowing, skateboarding, kick scooters and roller skates.
[8] Health benefits of active mobility include alleviating urban pressures, reduced energy consumption and production, and improved quality of life.
[16] The PHE report notes that walking and cycling daily is effective to increase physical activity and reduce levels of obesity, as well as prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and several mental illnesses, including depression.
[18][19] Providing good infrastructure for active mobility effectively promotes this type of transportation to decrease traffic and urban congestion.
[22] Designing safe walkable areas in cities can increase the popularity of walking, decrease physical inactivity, and improve health.
[23] People switching to e-bike from either private cars or public transport expend more energy as physical activity increases, gaining between 550 and 880 Metabolic Equivalent Task minutes per week.
[27] As automobile use increases greenhouse gas emissions, the rates in which our Earth is reaching climate tipping point thresholds are escalating.
[31] Air pollution can cause acid rain, eutrophication, haze, wildlife deaths, thinning of Earth's ozone layer, crop damage, and global climate change.
[20] Active mobility has appealed to policymakers because of its beneficial contributions to physical health and reductions of air pollution,[33] leading to legislative efforts to make cycling and walking safer and more attractive for commuting and personal errands.
[34] These measures include infrastructure changes to accommodate more cyclists and pedestrians on roads, regulations to limit car traffic,[33] and education and training to improve the coordination between motor vehicles and individuals using active mobility.
[35] Infrastructure developments that have been correlated with increased active mobility are wider sidewalks, street lighting, flat terrain, and urban greenery,[36] particularly with access to parks.
[40] Active mobility may often be more time-consuming than commuting by vehicle, and the effects of distance, geographic features such as hills, and climate may make outdoor exertion uncomfortable or impractical.
[41] Another criticism of active transportation policy contends that converting traffic lanes for bicycle use makes travel more difficult for commuters who must a motor vehicle.
[45] This includes the facilitation of active mobility, which Polis states provides benefits to the environment and to the public's physical health and asserts that these improvements contribute to the economy as well.
[35] The flat topography and temperate climate of the Netherlands benefits active mobility, which has been supported by government policy for decades,[41] including 35,000 kilometers of dedicated cycling paths.
[53] The Association of Directors of Public Health in the United Kingdom, joined by over one hundred signatory organizations including Sustrans and the Royal College of Physicians on a position paper on active travel, set out a number of clear policy measures recommended for local planning and highway authorities, including: The UK Government's plan for active travel in England was released in 2020 and is known as Gear Change.
[64] Multiple cities in the United States, including Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Sacramento, and Houston, have implemented their own policies to encourage the active mobility for commuting to work and to school.
[65] More extensive efforts involve detailed active transportation programs (ATPs), such as those implemented in California,[66] Portland, Oregon,[67] Fort Worth, Texas,[68] and San Diego County.
There are some instances where it is not possible for a person to walk or cycle, and, even if the physical, societal and financial barriers were removed, some would still need access to a motor vehicle.
[72] According to research into gender differences in active travel across a range of international cities, women are more likely than men to walk and more likely to use public transport.
[74] Research highlights the importance of a gendered approach towards healthy living and active transport policy making with considerations for reducing road traffic danger and male violence.
