Sustrans Cymru has said that the NHS in Wales could save more than half a billion pounds provided the Welsh Government effectively implements its proposed Active Travel Bill. The legislation would require local authorities throughout the country to develop and maintain an integrated network of cycling and walking routes.
The claim, made in a report published today to coincide with the closure of the consultation period on the bill, is based on a research model published in medical journal The Lancet last month, which suggested that improvements to health through getting more people active would save £517 million over 20 years.
According to the latest statistics available, one in five adults in Wales are categorised as clinically obese, more than half are overweight and over seven in ten do not carry out the recommended amount of moderate physical activity.
"If more people were able to walk and cycle to work, school and the shops we'd be a happier and healthier nation," commented Lee Waters, Director of Sustrans Cymru.
"But this won't happen by itself – we need safer options for people to get around on foot and by bike" he added.
"Our politicians must recognise the massive health and economic benefits this Bill offers and support the new law as it passes through the Assembly."
The report’s author, James Jarrett, said: “Prevention really is better than cure when it comes to getting around actively.
"More and more health experts are prescribing walking and cycling to help lessen the massive health and financial burden of diseases like type two diabetes and heart disease."
"Wales has some of the highest childhood obesity in the world. The Active Travel Bill is a practical response to this growing epidemic and has the potential to be one of the most effective public health interventions since the creation of the National Assembly."
Whilst EV cars are an improvement over ICE cars, I think they're a distraction from the possibilities of e-bikes, e-scooters and e-cargo-bikes etc....
I like how drivers make the case for making monitoring covert, not overt.
She seemed a bit upset about a minor misjudgement that could have killed someone and is going to cause months of stress and inconvenience.
No we don't agree, personally I would take primary, even if only for a short period although I can understand why some riders might not want to...
And which looks very like the bag produced by indy bag manufacturer Wizard Works…...
If it was a 'no vehicles' sign (all white circle centre), it would mean cyclists could ride in the hours that HGVs and disabled drivers are allowed...
The bit at the start and end looks like a cycle lane, but the bit they drive on looks just like a patched filter lane for traffic lights.
Hey, you 4 execs helped run a company into the ground and have no jobs anymore... Come work for us because you have great experience in the...
£11.5k for a bike weighing over 8kg that's 2 fingers to customers let alone UCI
I'm going to show my bike a picture of this shed and tell it, "If you don't behave..."