Health and transportation, a critical intersection

For many of us, transportation is about getting where we need to go. For American businesses, transportation is about getting goods to markets. At DOT, we think about transportation in both ways---but we can't stop there. We've also been working closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make sure that health is part of the transportation conversation.

And we were pleased to partner with HHS and the CDC yesterday for a White House Roundtable on Health and Transportation.

We know that the transportation choices we make play an important role in building and maintaining healthy communities. For example, safer roadways and traffic patterns reduce crashes. Streets where walkers and bikers are protected from motor vehicles encourage people to get more exercise as part of their daily routines. Increasing the transportation options available in a community helps reduce congestion and air pollution even as it ensures that communities have access to necessary services like full-service grocery stores and doctors' offices.

That's why we brought a wide range of experts together to talk about how to build communities that support healthy, active living through coordinated transportation and health policies. Yesterday's roundtable, "Health and Transportation in the Built Environment," featured representatives from the health, wellness, livability, transportation planning, public transportation, walking and biking, complete streets, accessibility, environmental, and injury prevention communities.

Therese McMillan, Deputy Federal Transit Administrator began by emphasizing the importance of coordination between agencies responsible for health and transportation.

We were also pleased to have on hand Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff for First Lady Michelle Obama. She reminded participants about how their work fits in with the ongoing mission of Let’s Move Cities, Towns, and Counties, and she encouraged everyone to continue doing what they can to add biking, walking and accessibility options across the country.

Throughout yesterday's roundtable, participants talked about coordinating resources, using data to inform decisions, and looking carefully for opportunities to create healthier communities through transportation choices. The importance of collaboration resurfaced throughout the day.

The fact that we're having important conversations like yesterday's is a terrific development. But when it comes to the critical intersection of health and transportation, we cannot be content with talk. So in closing the day's activities, Mary Beth Bigley of the Surgeon General's office charged each participant to take at least one action building on the lessons shared by their colleagues.

At DOT we've already been hard at work partnering with HUD and EPA to help build livable communities. And as we begin implementing the new transportation legislation known as MAP-21, we look forward to working with our partners to build transportation options that provide safe, accessible, healthy communities.

Comments

[Johan Granlund]

Google and read the EU-funded report "Health Issued Raised by Poorly Maintained Road Networks". The report shows how ride vibration cause bad health. It also shows how improperly designed roads cause road crashes, too a degree that surprise about anyone reader including senior road experts. It also demonstrates several methods to identify hazardous road sections, using data on road alignment, gradients and road surface condition collected with standard road condition measurement vans, used in traditional pavement management.

[Kia Clark]

States can work with local governments to implement smart growth strategies that concentrate housing, employment, goods and services, and access to public transportation to lessen the need to drive. Providing transit options, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and promoting travel demand management programs and telecommuting can also reduce the number of vehicle trips.

[Jacksn]

How does transportation options available in a community helps reduce congestion and air pollution? We still burn lots of gas that produce co2 and other noxious gas everyday. As long as we don't get enough green technology on vehicles it won't cut down the air pollution.

[Bill Lowery]

"Livability" is a term that likely engenders certain images among the planning and urban design community; images of what such communities "should" look like and how they "should" function. What I wonder is, how well those images conincide with those of millions of indivuduls making choices about thier living practices in terms of family structure, economic realities, and housing preferences. Seems to me that the later should drive the former, but yet those interests were absent from the table. Which private sector producers (those who finance and build housing, retail, and employment centers) were represneted at the table? Those are the groups most in touch with what indiviuals want. After all, what citizens want should drive it all, should it not?

[R. Bruce Germond]

Please let it be so

[Ms. Beverly Denise Payne]

Hello. I am a citizen of the State of Virginia, and I am very pleased at the action the DOT is taking concerning the public transportation situations across America. I live in a residential neighborhood where I am concerned about the increase of traffic from all areas. I feel we need to ensure better safety for the citizens in the neighborhood. They utilize transportation as bicyclists,pedestrian walkers,vehicles, etc.

[Central Park Bike Tours]

The community should be pushed to a healthier way of living and that's why these initiatives should be spread worldwide.
Improving the conditions for bicycling, creating bike lanes and stimulating the young to exercise will have a long-term effect on our community.

[Terry L. Bellamy]

The NACTO members understand the importance of 150 minutes of exercise a week and we remain consistent in our efforts to provide multi-modal options for all of our transportation users. We agree a healthy transportation system is one of sustainability for future years and we encourage all to participate in "Car Free Day" Saturday September 22, 2012.

[Qalab A.]

I think this is a great way to improve communities everywhere. Also, it would also be better if more citizens get locally involved with their communities since they are the experts within their areas.

[Rahle Desalegne]

I am a transporation professional, and I am very pleased to know that our profession realizes the implecaitons of transproation policy decison on the health of the public. The efforts to provide multi-modual transporation options for the public is an intergal part to creating and improving livable communities.

[CPR certification training]

I sure hope I don't survive my driver's licence either. Since I live two kms from the nearest bus stop public transport is NOTan option. But I hope if I am not capable I'll know to stop driving.