Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycling

Infographic: The Many Connections Between Transportation and Health

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched their "New Public Health" website last year with the goal of meeting community members where they are to talk about public health. A lot of those conversations happen online, and they explore the connections between public health and policy decisions related to everything from education to transportation. Last week, they published an interview with U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

They also put out a complete and convincing infographic showing why sustainable transportation modes are a key component of any public health strategy -- and any healthy and prosperous community.

It highlights the positive health correlation between transit and health -- and suggests that maybe the walk home from the train station is the best part of your commute. Experts say people are willing to walk a quarter mile to a bus stop and a half mile to a rail station. The more bus stops and rail stations there are, the more people get those healthy 19 minutes of walking, too.

Walking and biking as part of your commute can reduce obesity and your risk of a crash. And job sprawl that makes it harder for people to walk or bike to work cost communities money.

But don't take my word for it -- take it from the public health experts. Full infographic after the jump:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Running Out of Time

Our chance to avoid catastrophic climate change continues to slip away without urgent action.

January 15, 2025

‘A Big Deal’: Buttigieg’s Final Grants Give Hundreds of Millions To Sustainable Transportation

Secretary Pete's parting gift to America includes big money for bikeways, highways-to-boulevards projects, and more.

January 15, 2025

Video: Trolley Buses are Great Nuts-and-Bolts Transit

The Armchair Urbanist says San Francisco already has a great solution for transit. Let's stop looking for magic technologies and do more of it.

January 14, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Are Psyched About Bikes

NACTO's new Urban Bikeway Design Guide tackles the politics of bike lanes in addition to the engineering challenges.

January 14, 2025

Video: Why We Need a Global Freeway Fighters’ Network

A terrible project in Berlin shows the need for a global network to support local freeway fighters everywhere.

January 14, 2025
See all posts