Promoting Walking and Cycling as an Alternative to Using Cars: Systematic Review

This article reports on a study undertaken to assess interventions that may be effective in promoting a population shift from using cars towards walking and cycling and to assess the health effects of such interventions. The authors conducted a systematic literature search to identify experimental or observational studies with a prospective or controlled retrospective design that evaluated any intervention applied to an urban population or area by measuring outcomes in members of the local population. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. The authors found some evidence that targeted behavior change programs can change the behavior of motivated subgroups. The largest study resulted in a shift of around 5% of all trips at a population level. Single studies of commuter subsidies and a new railway station also showed positive effects. Participants in trials of active commuting experienced short term improvements in certain measures of health and fitness, but the authors found no good evidence of effects on health of any effective intervention at population level. The authors conclude that the balance of best available evidence about publicity campaigns, engineering measures, and other interventions suggests that they have not been effective.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00071447
• Authors:
  • Ogilvie, David
  • Egan, Matt
  • Hamilton, Val
  • Petticrew, Mark
• Publication Date: 2004-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: p 763
• Serial:
  • BMJ
  • Volume: 329
  • Issue Number: 7469
  • Publisher: British Medical Association
  • ISSN: 0959-8138
  • Serial URL: http://www.bmj.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior modification; Bicycling; Bikeways; Commuters; Health; Pedestrians; Physical fitness; Public health; Subsidies; Travel behavior; Urban areas; Urban population; Walking
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Passenger Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society; Terminals and Facilities; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01089224
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 27 2008 8:58AM