1 The Physical
Fitness Sub-objective
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1.1 Introduction
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1.1.1 |
There is increasing recognition of the interrelation
between transport, the environment and health Road Transport
and Health (British Medical Association, 1997). Transport
affects health in a number of ways, both positive and negative.
The overall health effects of transport are summarised in
Table 1 below (based on Health Education Department, 1998).
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Table 1 Effects of Transport
on Health
| Health Promoting |
Health Damaging |
Enabling access to:
Employment
Shops
Recreation
Social service support networks
Health services
Countryside
Recreation
Physical Fitness |
Traffic injuries
Air Pollution:
fine particulate matter
oxides of nitrogen, especially NO2
hydrocarbons
ozone
lead
benzene
1,3-butadieneNoise and VibrationStress and anxietyDangerLoss
of land and planning blightSeverance of communities
by roads |
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| 1.1.2 |
In relation to health and transport, the Government's
Transport White Paper, A New Deal for Transport: Better for
Everyone (DETR, 1998) sets the framework to: |
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- improve air quality by reducing pollution from transport
- reduce noise and vibration from transport;
- improve transport safety for users, those who work in
the industry and the general public; and
- encourage physical fitness by reducing reliance on private
cars and making it easier to cycle and walk more.
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| 1.1.3 |
The key indicators in relation to transport
and health relate to accidents, air pollution, noise, physical
activity and accessibility to people and services. With the
exception of physical activity, all of these issues are addressed
elsewhere in the guidance under their own objectives or sub-objectives.
Clearly to include them under a health objective would introduce
double counting into the assessment. Consequently, the remaining
key impact relating to health that has not been considered
elsewhere in the AST is personal physical activity, or to
avoid confusion - physical fitness.
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Further
Impacts
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| 1.14 |
Any impact of a strategy or plan of accessing
health facilities, such as leisure centres and heath clubs,
should not be included in the Lifestyle sub-objective, but
considered under The Accessibility objective (TAG
Unit 3.6).
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| 1.15 |
Whilst the health benefits of increased non-motorised
travel should be considered under the Physical Fitness sub-objective,
there could be impacts on other objectives that the analyst
should ensure are considered; in particular there could be
impacts on safety if there are significant increases in the
extent of pedestrian and cycling movements and the plan does
not necessarily include mitigating safety measures.
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Physical Fitness
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1.1.6
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The range of health outcomes influenced by
physical activity is considerable (Pearce, 1998). The risk
of coronary heart disease, one of the biggest causes of death
in this country, is double for an inactive person compared
with an active one. Experimental evidence (Hillman, Boyd and
Tuxworth, 1999) has further suggested that significant improvements
in fitness and well-being can be obtained though relatively
small amounts of cycling; the effects were most evident in
those who cycled 30km per week.
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| 1.1.7 |
More exercise would help to reach the Government's
proposed target for reducing coronary heart disease and strokes
in England (DOH, 1998). The recommended minimum level of activity
for adults is to build up to 30 minutes or more of moderate
activity, most days of the week. This level of activity could
be integrated into everyday life, including cycling and walking.
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| 1.1.8 |
Whilst the 30 minute level of activity threshold
sounds a high absolute figure, existing activity levels (for
example, walking to shops during lunchtimes or around offices)
may mean that benefits could arise through changes in the
level of activity which last for less time than the threshold
would suggest. Similarly, if it is assumed that over the course
of a day the outward and return journeys are made, then a
single journey time of 15 minutes by foot or cycle would achieve
the threshold.
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| 1.1.9 |
Consideration of the health implications of
transport proposals could therefore be identified through
an assessment of changes in the opportunities for increased
physical activity through cycling and walking. Providing increased
opportunities to walk and cycle may also have additional benefits
including improvements to the physical environment within
communities, fostering well-being and community spirit which
also have implications for health.
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1.2 Methodology
for Plans
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| 1.2.1 |
In preparing inputs for the AST the changes
in the extent of walk and cycling should be estimated, either
using forecasting tools where walking or cycling measures
are key to the strategies or plans being considered, or by
adopting a similar approach to the Guidance set out in DMRB
section 11.3.8 where the impacts are likely to be less significant.
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| 1.2.2 |
The key objective of the AST entries is the
identification of the contribution of the strategy or plan
to overall health by increasing the level of physical activity.
Within this indicator there is a reverse dichotomy at play:
reducing journey times, which is a key benefit in economic
assessment terms, can reduce the health benefits of these
activities. Conversely, increasing the extent of walking and
cycling may extend journey times which may then reduce economic
benefits, but can increase the health benefits. (There is,
however, an obvious limit to which this can be taken; at some
point, participants cease the activities completely, thus
completely removing the health benefits.)
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| 1.2.3 |
Consequently, the key is the encouragement of
walking and cycling, without significantly affecting the health
benefits of existing participants. With this in mind, the indicator
considers both the journey times and the change in the demand
levels. Given that the available evidence indicates the minimum
time of activity which is beneficial at 30 minutes, and assuming
that the analysis can distinguish between trips which fall above
and below this duration, there are four levels of benefit which
can be considered: |
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- for new walk and cycle trips where journey times are
below this threshold, there will be some minor health benefits;
- for new walk and cycle trips where journey times are
above this threshold, there will be significant health benefits;
- for existing walk and cycle trips, where the journey
time remains above the threshold, health benefits will be
largely unchanged; and
- for existing walk and cycle trips, where the journey
time falls below the threshold, there will be minor reductions
in health benefits.
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| 1.2.4 |
At a plan level, in circumstances where the
impacts are likely to be significant and data and forecasts
are available, Worksheet 1 should be completed to show the
changes in the numbers of walking and cycling trips, split
into those longer than 30 minutes and those shorter than this
duration. Where the impacts are likely to be significant it
will be expected that detailed data and forecasts will be
used since walk and cycling should have been considered thoroughly
in the forecasting processes. (Although many, if not all,
of the short trips forecast would be intrazonal and hence
not covered, these would be likely to be too short to be of
benefit for those trips where walk and cycle might be considered
alternatives to car or public transport.)
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1.2.5
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Where journey times for existing cyclists are
reduced due to the provision of cycle lanes it should be assumed
that effect on activity will be neutral, the journey times
reducing due to higher travel speeds. It is possible that
this may cause some complications in obtaining data from detailed
forecasting procedures. In such cases, or others where the
use of a journey time measure is not possible or inappropriate,
then a journey distance threshold can be used to replace the
journey time measure. For cyclists this should assume a threshold
of 6 kilometres per day (implying a cycling speed of 12 kilometres
per hour).
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| 1.2.6 |
The entry in the Quantitative column of the
AST should show separately the changes in the numbers of cyclists
and pedestrians making journeys of more than 30 minutes. The
entry in the Overall Assessment column should be the total
number of people walking or cycling for more than 30 minutes.
These statistics are considered to provide reasonable indicators
for the health benefits of transport plans.
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| 1.2.7 |
The impacts on pedestrians and cyclists should
be identified separately, although each is weighted similarly
in the overall assessment score.
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1.3 Methodology
for Strategies
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| 1.3.1 |
The methodology set out above for plans where
the impact is likely to be insignificant should be applied
to strategies, unless the strategy has specifically developed
walking and cycling strategies. It is likely that more general
conclusions will be reached, but it should still be possible
to generate an appropriate assessment score for the AST.
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Worksheet 1
Environment: Physical Fitness
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2 Application
of TAG to Highway Schemes
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This section provides advice on the links between
TAG's treatment of the physical fitness sub-objective and
the advice given in Volume 11 of the Design Manual for Roads
and Bridges (DMRB), which deals with the environmental assessment
of highway projects. An explanation of the correspondence
between the advice set out in TAG and DMRB is given in Applying
the multi-modal new approach to appraisal to highway schemes
(TAG Unit 2.6).
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2.1 Methods
and Worksheets
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| 2.1.1 |
This is a new topic, introduced in A New Deal
for Transport, however, TAG bases the appraisal on DMRB 11.3.8
where changes in the extent (journey length) of walking and
cycling is taken into account. Worksheet 1 shows how the appraisal
should be presented.
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2.2 Data
Transformation from DMRB to TAG
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| Data requirements |
Modify DMRB Output? |
Data Sources |
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Worksheet
No. of pedestrians and cyclists involved in:
< 30 mins daily activity
> 30 mins daily activity
or journey distance (proxy) in DM and DS |
Yes |
DMRB 11.3.8 |
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AST
Change in number of people making journeys of
> 30 mins/day |
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From Worksheet
1 |
| Total number of people
walking or cycling for > 30 mins/day |
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From Worksheet 1 |
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| 2.2.1 |
The estimates of journey length for walking
and cycling trips from DMRB 11.3.8 can be converted to journey
times using standard average walking and cycling speeds. It
is acceptable to use journey distance as a measure and to
set distance thresholds e.g. 6 km/day for cyclists.
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2.3 DMRB
Stages 1 and 2/ TAG
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| 2.3.1 |
At DMRB Stages 1 and 2, information will be
less detailed and it may only be possible to make a qualitative
comment for the TAG appraisal.
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4 References
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British Medical Association (1997) Road
Transport and Health
Hillman, Boyd, Tuxworth (1999) Promoting Cycling as a
Way to a Healthier Life - Proceedings from Velo City
1999, Graz, Austria (11th International Bicycle Planning Conference)
Health Education Authority (1998) Transport and Health:
A Briefing for Health Professionals and Local Authorities
Department of Health (1998) Our Healthier Nation: a contract
for health, CM 3854
L M Pearce (TRL) A L Davis (Adrian Davis Associates) Dr H
D Crombie (Independent Consultant) and HN Boyd (Allot and
Lomax) (1998) Cycling for a Healthier Nation, TRL
Report 346
DETR (July 1998) A New Deal for Transport: Better for
Everyone
Highways Agency Design Manual for Roads and Bridges
(DMRB) |
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5 Document
Provenance
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This Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) Unit
is based on Chapter 4 Section 12 of Guidance on the Methodology
for Multi-Modal Studies Volume 2 (DETR, 2000). Section
2 of this unit is taken from Applying the Multi-Modal
New Approach to Highway Schemes (DETR, 2001)
Technical queries and comments on this TAG Unit should be
referred to:
Integrated Transport Economics and Appraisal (ITEA) Division
Department for Transport
Zone 3/08 Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DR
itea@dft.gsi.gov.uk
Tel 020 7944 6176
Fax 020 7944 2198 |
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