Health Implications of Transport Planning, Development, and Operations

This paper is an overview of impacts of transport on health for transport researchers and practitioners not familiar with them.

  • Transport is linked to physical ill-health, mental illness and stress, inequality and associated health outcomes, and safe road environments.
  • Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is recommended as a method to maximise benefits and mitigate disbenefits of transport schemes and policies.
  • The links between transport and health are well documented, but the extent of these benefits and disbenefits is not widely understood by non-health professionals. Additionally, there are less obvious, indirect ways in which transport and health are linked.
  • This paper provides a broad overview of the literature, compiling empirical evidence that describes, and where possible quantifies, the health effects of transport planning for the reference of transport professionals.
  • The paper makes the case for considering health alongside the environment when assessing a policy or development's sustainability, and provides empirical evidence to assist transport professionals in considering benefits or disbenefits involved.

Judith M. Cohena, Sadie Bonifaceb, Stephen Watkinsc. (2014). Health implications of transport planning, development and operations. Journal of Transport & Health(4 Feb 2014). 

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