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Active Transport

Active transport provides you with physical activity to help you achieve your physical activity goals for good health. It may include walking, cycling and other physical modes of travel to work, school, shops, friend's house or other destinations.

Using public transport also involves physical activity when walking or cycling to public transport stops, home and destinations.

What are the benefits?

Choosing to walk or cycle for transport offers many important benefits. Regular active transport can decrease noise and air pollution. It also improves your health by reducing the risk of developing coronary heart disease, obesity, adult onset diabetes, depression and anxiety and reduces stress levels. Other benefits include:

Reducing local traffic congestion and green house emissions
Increasing community safety by having 'more eyes on the street'
Supporting local businesses with more people shopping locally
Improving community health and well-being
Being a low-cost activity that is accessible to all

Fact

Forty years ago, about 75% of Australian children walked or rode to school and only 25% were driven or used other means of transport. Now those figures are reversed and the streets around schools are congested.

How much physical activity do I need for good health?

What should you do?

30 minutes of physical activity each day for adults and at least 60 minutes for children and young people
10 minutes several times a day can count
Activity does not have to be hard to be good for you (brisk walking is fine)
It's good to do some vigorous exercise a few times a week
A walk to a bus stop, local shops or walking/cycling to school can count towards meeting your daily physical activity for health benefits
Make being active fun!

Do lots of these activities throughout the day:

Lots of little things can make a difference:

Park the car further from work or school each day and walk or cycle the rest of the way
Take running shoes to work for a lunchtime walk
Walk to the local shops
Take the stairs instead of the lift
Instead of driving your children to the park, why not make it a family outing on your bikes
If you're thinking about moving, consider the transportation options available to you in the new location. Could you walk to do most of your small errands? How far away is the nearest school for you child? Is the neighbourhood 'pedestrian friendly'?

Some good websites

www.your30.qld.gov.au/
www.heartfoundation.org.au
http://bq.org.au
http://www.cycle2city.com.au
www.walk.com.au

Information provided by Queensland Health, click to view pdf version