Congestion takes toll on health
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 8:29 am
From The West:
Perth's congestion is getting worse and is now affecting the health and home life of motorists.
A report to be released by the Committee for Perth today has identified national and international research that has linked long commute times with serious long-term health and social issues.
Problems include obesity, heart disease, increased blood pressure, cancer, type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol, mental health, sleep apnoea and high divorce rates.
According to car navigation systems maker TomTom's 2013 traffic index, congestion is adding 31 minutes to the daily peak-period commute in Perth.
"Perth is now the second-most congested city in Australia," committee chief executive Marion Fulker said.
"If you live more than an hour away from work, you're spending 19 days travelling to work each year, so it's bound to have an adverse impact on your health." Mrs Fulker said there was evidence of a link between obesity and the number of kilometres travelled in vehicles.
...
It also indicates:
"In some cases, cyclists and pedestrians can achieve 80 per cent of their recommended daily physical activity by active commuting.
"If we can make local and arterial roads more bike-friendly, the return on this investment would be significant."
Let's make that investment now.
Perth's congestion is getting worse and is now affecting the health and home life of motorists.
A report to be released by the Committee for Perth today has identified national and international research that has linked long commute times with serious long-term health and social issues.
Problems include obesity, heart disease, increased blood pressure, cancer, type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol, mental health, sleep apnoea and high divorce rates.
According to car navigation systems maker TomTom's 2013 traffic index, congestion is adding 31 minutes to the daily peak-period commute in Perth.
"Perth is now the second-most congested city in Australia," committee chief executive Marion Fulker said.
"If you live more than an hour away from work, you're spending 19 days travelling to work each year, so it's bound to have an adverse impact on your health." Mrs Fulker said there was evidence of a link between obesity and the number of kilometres travelled in vehicles.
...
It also indicates:
"In some cases, cyclists and pedestrians can achieve 80 per cent of their recommended daily physical activity by active commuting.
"If we can make local and arterial roads more bike-friendly, the return on this investment would be significant."
Let's make that investment now.