The Mayor of London has issued a report, Health Impact of Cars in London, which provides the evidence base for future work by policy makers and health professionals. A key finding is that by not driving, but walking or cycling when this is a reasonable alternative, the population of London would gain over 60,000 years of healthy life every year, which would deliver an economic health benefit of over £2 billion annually.
The report's authors point out that most people in London do not use cars regularly but car use impacts on everybody’s health - an important point seemingly lost on objectors to Cycle Enfield, who claim that the scheme would only benefit 1 per cent of the local population, ie the current cyclists. In fact, as this report makes clear, nearly everyone would benefit from reduced car usage brought about by the cycling scheme.
The key points of the report are as follows:
Car Ownership in London
- Household car ownership in Greater London is significantly lower than the average in England.
- Household car ownership increases with household income. However, car ownership remains static at around 80% for households with an income over £75,000.
- Household car ownership tends to be lower in areas with better access to public transport.
- People choose to own a car for a combination of practical and emotional reasons.
Car Use in London
- Most journeys by Londoners are not by car, only a third of journey stages in London are by private transport.
- Car use increases as the level of household car ownership by borough increases.
- Over one third of all the car trips made by London residents are less than 2km and could be walked in up to 25 minutes.
- Habit strongly influences choice of travel mode.
Health Impacts of Car Use in London
- Most people in London do not use cars regularly but car use impacts on everybody’s health.
- Car use impacts on the health of car users through:
1. Physical Inactivity
Car ownership is linked to how much walking and cycling Londoners do. Walking levels decrease significantly as household car ownership increases.
In London children living in households without access to a vehicle are 2.3 times more likely to walk to school than children living in households with vehicle access.
HEALTH IMPACTS OF CARS IN LONDON
Car use is associated with an increased risk of obesity while walking and public transport use are associated with not being overweight or obese.
Walking is a universal activity in London.
In London half of all walking is carried out as part of trips by public transport.
2. Air Pollution
Car drivers can be exposed to higher levels of air pollution than cyclists.
Car use impacts on the health of all Londoners through:
1. Road traffic injuries and deaths
2. Noise
3. Severance
4. Air pollution
5. Climate change
Reducing Car Use in London
There are many short car journeys made by London residents which could easily be switched to walking or cycling:
- 1.6 million car trips per day could potentially be walked.
- 2.7 million car trips per day could potentially be cycled.
Reducing car use in London would bring health benefits to all Londoners.
- If Londoners swapped motorised trips that could reasonably be walked and cycled, 60% of them would meet the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week through active travel alone. The population of London would gain over 60,000 years of healthy life every year which would deliver an economic health benefit of over £2 billion annually.
