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Perth would become a healthier city where people would rely less on cars, even ‘green' ones,  and more on ‘active transportation' - a combination of public transport, walking and cycling - if  researchers at The University of Western Australia had their way.

After assessing active transportation in European cities including Copenhagen and Amsterdam, Winthrop Professor Billie Giles-Corti, Director of UWA's Centre for the Built Environment and Health, said Perth could learn valuable lessons from places where land-use and planning promoted healthier and more environmentally friendly ways of moving around.

"Copenhagen is a quiet city with few cars and little pollution," she said. "There are a lot of cyclists and a great underground transport system. In Amsterdam there are three storeys of parking for bicycles at the train stations. Cyclists are safely separated from pedestrians and cars on the roads and cycling is a way of life. There is even legislation that if a motorist has a collision with a cyclist the motorist is at fault."

In a paper published recently in the NSW Public Health Bulletin lead author Professor Giles-Corti suggested active transportation was a better alternative to driving amid growing concerns about the impact of rising obesity and physical inactivity levels, climate change, population growth, increasing traffic congestion and anxiety about fossil fuel dependency.

"Globally, physical inactivity ranks second only to tobacco as a behaviour contributing to the burden of disease," she said. "The societal benefits of even a small increase in the number of people who are physically active could be large. For example, a five per cent increase in the proportion of people doing 30 minutes a day of moderate activity could save around 600 Australian lives every year, with significant savings to the health system."

UWA's draft Campus Plan 2010 (was on track to further develop UWA as a model for the community, Professor Giles-Corti said. The draft plan, which will guide future development of the University's Crawley campus, has just been released for public comment.

"The plan aims to encourage students to live close to the University, and to provide supportive infrastructure which would enable them to safely walk or cycle to and from campus," she said. "If people can live close to where they work or go to school - an 8km radius could be considered the ‘no excuse zone' - they could easily cycle - even wearing a suit and tie if they have to. Exercise then becomes a built-in part of the routine, instead of an extra half-hour people have to find.

Professor Giles-Corti said a study in London showed that switching to low-emission cars could reduce carbon dioxide levels by 35 per cent. Active transportation could reduce levels by 38 per cent. But a combination of ‘green' cars and walking and cycling would decrease CO2 by 60 per cent.

And by doing more physical activity, people lower their risks of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and dementia - and can enjoy safer, friendlier cities too.

Professor Giles-Corti is currently evaluating the State Government's Liveable Neighbourhood Policy Evaluation and until recently was a member of its Physical Activity Task Force.

Media references

Winthrop Professor Billie Giles-Corti (UWA School of Population Health)  (+61 8) 6488 1257 /  (+61 4) 24 441 861

Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8) 6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716