Benefits of cycling and walking

Introduction

We all know the benefits of cycling and walking - which include:

• Improves general health, helps to lower both blood pressure and improves heart health, as well as improving mental health and wellbeing.
• Helps with weight and stress management.
• Improves fitness.
• In congested areas cyclists and pedestrians breathe in less fumes than drivers.
• Saves you money.
• Produces no pollution so good for the environment and tackling climate change.
• Often quicker to get around in towns and cities.
• Fewer cars on the road and more cyclists and pedestrians means safer roads.
• Have fewer days being ill each year.

So whether you cycle or walk for your whole journey, or simply part of it, you know you will be healthier as a result!
 

Essential evidence - the benefits of cycling and walking

Key evidence from peer-reviewed literature is being used to strengthen the case for current policies and practice - not least the work of the Cycling City Project.

The first 88 editions are listed below. For editions 89 onwards please go to the Travel West website.

88.Collaboration, sectoral protectionism, and reticulists in public policy (pdf, 32 KB) (opens new window)
87.Physical Activity Deficiency – Lessons from tobacco control (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
86. Olympian efforts needed to increase physical activity (pdf, 24 KB) (opens new window)
85. The health impacts of reducing short car trips (pdf, 29 KB) (opens new window)
84. Physical Activity compensation in British 8–13 year olds (msword, 85 KB) (opens new window)
83. Bike - rail integration? (pdf, 67 KB) (opens new window)
82. Severance, social networks and health (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
81. Physical activity by stealth? (pdf, 29 KB) (opens new window)
80. Measuring transport performance (pdf, 32 KB) (opens new window)
79. The paradox of the effective speed concept (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
78. Neighbourhoods and mental wellbeing (pdf, 55 KB) (opens new window)
77. Is your local area a good place for young people to grow up? (pdf, 32 KB) (opens new window)
76. Benefits of shift from car to active travel (pdf, 32 KB) (opens new window)
75. Accident: No such thing? (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
74. Can parents affect the likelihood of young drivers having accidents? (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
73. Representation of cycling in newspapers (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
72. Health risks and benefits of a bicycle sharing scheme (pdf, 23 KB) (opens new window)
71. Policy transfer and learning in the field of transport (pdf, 24 KB) (opens new window)
70. Exercise at work and self-reported performance (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
69. Non-cyclists - how to engage them (pdf, 35 KB) (opens new window)
68. Spend on high streets according to travel mode (pdf, 95 KB) (opens new window)
67. Speed of drivers in presence of child pedestrians (pdf, 33 KB) (opens new window)
66. Public Health White Paper (pdf, 39 KB) (opens new window)
65. Physical activity, walking, and the prevention of falls (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
64. The common cold, physical activity and immune function (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
63. Dose response to physical activity (pdf, 54 KB) (opens new window)
62. 'Nudge’: Normative social influences on behaviour change (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
61. Doorstep walks (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
60. Childhood asthma and traffic pollution (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
59. Global perspective on urban health (pdf, 41 KB) (opens new window)
58. Car use weight gain and carbon (pdf, 41 KB) (opens new window)
57. Community severance barrier effect (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
56. Children's physical activity and academic performance (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
55. Casualty and Road Danger Reduction (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
54. Health effects of a neighbourhood traffic calming scheme (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
53. Perceived barriers to public engagement with climate change (msword, 0.6 MB) (opens new window)
52. Is speeding a "real" antisocial behaviour? (pdf, 13 KB) (opens new window)
51. The Precautionary Principle (pdf, 32 KB) (opens new window)
50. Peak Oil (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
49. Food deserts (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
48. Attitude-based targeting of mobility types for mode shift (pdf, 33 KB) (opens new window)
47. Stairs instead of escalators (pdf, 93 KB) (opens new window)
46. Use of non-motorised modes and life stages (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
45. Effective interventions to increase cycle use (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
44. Electrically assisted Cycling (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
43. Child physical activity and effect on body weight (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
42. A convenient truth: Climate change mitigation from transport is good for health (pdf, 34 KB) (opens new window)
41. The importance of “walkable” green spaces (pdf, 31 KB) (opens new window)
40. Effect of driving cessation on the elderly (pdf, 30 KB) (opens new window)
39. Social Patterning (pdf, 9 KB) (opens new window)
38. Women and commuter cycling (pdf, 17 KB) (opens new window)
37. Impact of retirement on physical activity (pdf, 9 KB) (opens new window)
36. Children's independent mobility (pdf, 9 KB) (opens new window)
35. Urban Environment (pdf, 53 KB) (opens new window)
34. Evidence led policy or the art of the possible? (pdf, 18 KB) (opens new window)
33. Assessment of the Active for Life Campaign (pdf, 11 KB) (opens new window)
32. NICE Guidance (msword, 104 KB) (opens new window)
31. Walk in to Work Out (pdf, 20 KB) (opens new window)
30. Cost benefit analysis of walking and cycle track networks (pdf, 19 KB) (opens new window)
29. Illness arising from road transport (pdf, 115 KB) (opens new window)
28. Public transport and physical activity (pdf, 14 KB) (opens new window)
27. Air Pollution (msword, 41 KB) (opens new window)
26. Effect of crime and neighbourhood on physical activity (pdf, 14 KB) (opens new window)
25. Cycling Safety - Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany (pdf, 16 KB) (opens new window)
24. Economic Benefits of Cycling (pdf, 28 KB) (opens new window)
23. Mass Community Cycling Events (pdf, 19 KB) (opens new window)
22. Inverse Care Law (pdf, 18 KB) (opens new window)
21. Obtaining a driving licence and interventions to influence the decision (pdf, 17 KB) (opens new window)
20. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) (pdf, 20 KB) (opens new window)
19. Unintended health impacts of road transport policies and interventions (pdf, 18 KB) (opens new window)
18. The role of habit in travel behaviour (pdf, 25 KB) (opens new window)
17. Using pedometers to increase physical activity and improve health (pdf, 10 KB) (opens new window)
16. Objective monitoring, children's travel and physical fitness (pdf, 13 KB) (opens new window)
15. Vision Zero (pdf, 17 KB) (opens new window)
14. A healthy school journey (pdf, 19 KB) (opens new window)
13. Cycling reduces absenteeism at the workplace (pdf, 21 KB) (opens new window)
12. Life change events and physical activity participation (pdf, 20 KB) (opens new window)
11. Walkable communities (pdf, 18 KB) (opens new window)
10. Cycle commuting (pdf, 17 KB) (opens new window)
9. Bus use and deregulation (pdf, 75 KB) (opens new window)
8. Physical activity - the best buy in public health (pdf, 97 KB) (opens new window)
7. Weight gain and car use (pdf, 66 KB) (opens new window)
6. Walking to health (pdf, 63 KB) (opens new window)
5. Impact of highway traffic capacity reductions (pdf, 61 KB) (opens new window)
4. Cycling and all cause mortality (pdf, 49 KB) (opens new window)
3. Evidence hierarchy (pdf, 83 KB) (opens new window)
2. Segmentation in behaviour change (pdf, 61 KB) (opens new window)
1. Safety in numbers (pdf, 102 KB) (opens new window)

What works in terms of increasing the number of people cycling

The successful bid to Cycling England outlined three strands to increase cycle numbers:

• Infrastructure.
• Smarter Choices (behaviour change).
• Bikeability (cycle training).

A fourth element has since been identified as "community engagement".

A rapid desk-top review of interventions which increase the number of people cycling has been carried out which:

• highlights the range of interventions shown to work
• provides expert opinion where there is a limited evidence base and 
• identifies what may be the most effective interventions given very limited infrastructure to date and cultural climate.

Download the desk-top review (pdf, 156 KB) (opens new window)