Congestion takes toll on health

[rolandp]

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.

[Mububban]

Well that's nothing new is it? But people are still stuck in the mindset of "we need more roads for cars." Things change, but this one will probably only change slowly. I wonder what the tipping point is for most people when they choose to swap the car for the bike or the bus etc?
I used to drive 45-60 minutes each way when I worked near the city and hated every minute of it, now I'm only 13km from work I can drive in 13-20 minutes or ride in 30.

[Aushiker]

The Committee for Perth's press release can be found here and the full report here.

Andrew

[casual_cyclist]

Perth's congestion is getting worse and is now affecting the health and home life of motorists.

Easy solution... don't drive. My ks are so low now I'm worried my battery is going to go flat and next time I want to drive I won't be able to start my car.