Planning Department	Planning Main Page Non-Motorized Transportation Program
NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION PILOT PROGRAM "Did You Know" ... Bike, Pedestrian, & Traffic facts

“Did You Know” section on interesting facts relating to Non-Motorized Transportation    Calorie Calculators: Biking, Walking, and more ... “The more small steps we can take, the further down the road we will be toward better health for ourselves and our families." - Fmr. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, speaking of the threat of obesity to Americans   Taking Steps Forward: Walking and Bicycling toward a Healthier Sheboygan County There is a growing consensus within the nation’s medical community that Americans’ lack of physical inactivity has reached a critical state. Inactive lifestyles are linked to higher rates of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer. Medical researchers and policymakers encourage the provision of increased opportunities for walking and biking as one strategy in the battle to reverse this epidemic. Non-motorized modes of transportation provide an easy and accessible way for individuals to incorporate activity into their daily routines. The Current Situation According to the Trust for America’s Health, nearly two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese and obesity rates for adults have grown from 15% in 1980 to 32% in 2004. In Wisconsin, almost a quarter of adults are obese.ì The numbers are particularly frightening for our children: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services predicts that 20% of children and youth in the United States will be obese by 2010. They also claim that the design of the built environment (i.e. a lack of sidewalks, trails, or safe street crossings) is partially to blame, discouraging students from walking or biking to and from school.ìì Additionally, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine predicts that by 2020, upwards of 40% of Americans will be obese by age 35.ììì The Upshot The evidence is in: increased opportunities for walking and biking helps encourage a healthier lifestyle. Studies show that access to facilities for biking or walking is an important factor in predicting how much an individual walks. This statistic also bears a significant impact upon the amount of physical activity.ìv In communities considered highly walkable, individuals walk an average of 15 to 30 minutes more every week than those who live in neighborhoods in which there are fewer options to use non-motorized transportation. Providing walking and bicycling facilities is an excellent way to make a community more ‘walkable,’ and in doing so, encourage increased physical activity.v Other research shows that people who report using walking trails at least once a week were twice as likely than people who reported rarely or never using walking trails to meet physical activity recommendations. This same research concluded that promotion of walking is particularly effective for those groups at greatest risk of physical inactivity, including women and older individuals.vì   References ì Trust for America’s Health. “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America.” 2006. ìì Government Accountability Office. “Childhood Obesity Study.” 2006. ììì Bibbins-Domingo, Kirstin. “Adolescent Overweight and Future Adult Coronary Heart Disease.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 2007; 357 (23). ìv Owen, Neville et al. “Understanding Environmental Influences on Walking.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2004; 27 (1) v Saelens, Brian E. et al. “Environmental Correlates of Walking and Cycling: Findings from the Transportation, Urban Design, and Planning Literatures.” Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2003; 25 (2): 80-91. vì Brownson, Ross C. et al. “Promoting Physical Activity in Rural Communities: Walking Trail Access, Use, and Effects.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2000; 18 (3).

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