New Walking and Cycling Routes and Increased Physical Activity: One- and 2-Year Findings From the UK iConnect Study

This article reports on a study undertaken to evaluate the effects of providing new high-quality, traffic-free routes for walking and cycling on overall levels of walking, cycling, and physical activity in the United Kingdom (UK). The authors conducted a questionnaire study with adult residents in 3 UK municipalities. Participants completed mailed-in questionnaires at baseline (2010, n = 3,516 respondents), 1-year follow-up (2011, n = 1,796 respondents), after the construction of the new infrastructure that included walking and cycling routes at 79 locations across the UK. A 2-year follow-up (2012) questionnaire was also sent, with 1,465 respondents. The authors used transport network distance from home to infrastructure as a definition for intervention exposure and a basis for controlled comparisons. The study found that living nearer the infrastructure did not predict changes in activity levels at 1-year follow-up but did predict increases in activity at 2 years relative to those living farther away (15.3 additional minutes/week walking and cycling per km nearer; 12.5 additional minutes/week of total physical activity). The effects were larger among participants with no car. The authors conclude that their findings support the use of walking and cycling infrastructure to better promote physical activity.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302059
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00900036
• Authors:
  • Goodman, Anna
  • Sahlqvist, Shannon
  • Ogilvie, David
• Publication Date: 2014-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp e38-e46
• Serial:
  • American Journal of Public Health
  • Volume: 104
  • Issue Number: 9
  • Publisher: American Public Health Association
  • ISSN: 0090-0036
  • EISSN: 1541-0048
  • Serial URL: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/loi/ajph

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bicycle travel; Bicycles; Bikeways; Pedestrian safety; Pedestrians; Physical fitness; Travel behavior; Trip length; Vehicle safety; Walkability; Walking; Walkways
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01539685
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 2014 5:20PM