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Ten reasons why reducing automobile dependency makes sense


By Greg Vann, Reviewanew

Like many places throughout the world, Australian cities’ transport systems are dominated by the private car. The car has offered unprecedented flexibility and reach in our personal mobility and dominated the form and lifestyles in cities since the mid 20th century. They can be convenient and versatile and fast, and now account for about 90 per cent of the total urban passenger movements (up from around 40 per cent in the late 1940s). In Australia there are about 17m cars. Worldwide, we are up there in terms of cars per capita at around 7 cars for every 10 people.
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[B' Spokes: Just major headings.]

1. Public health
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2. Land consumption.
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3. Environmental impacts.
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4. Urban design.
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5. Public safety,
,,,
6. Budget impacts
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7. Driving affects us psychologically.
We can become quite anti-social, judgemental, and mean when we drive.
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8. Cars are a strain on many household budgets.
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9. Cars are the main cause of congestion.
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10. The dream does not match the reality.
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http://reviewanew.com/2014/04/26/ten-reasons-why-reducing-automobile-dependency-makes-sense/
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GET READY FOR PARK(ING) DAY SEPTEMBER 15


-> Spaces to Places reminds readers that the third Friday in September is PARK(ing) Day, an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks, sometimes referred to as parklets. (See http://bit.ly/1BY9Jx1 to download the free The PARK(ing) Day Manual.) The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat. Check out the article to see examples of parklets and read the steps to create a PARK(ing) Day parklet. http://bit.ly/2v7jNWv

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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BRITISH PUBLIC HEALTH TOUTS 20 MPH LIMIT TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY


-> The European Cyclists’ Federation reports the British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, through its most recent publication, supports reducing urban speeds for better air quality. (Air Pollution: Outdoor Air Quality and Health: http://bit.ly/2vZMml5) Speed limits of 20 mph are increasingly acknowledged as an affordable tool to address air quality problems. What is interesting is the call for not using physical speed reduction measures. http://bit.ly/2vZN8yr

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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HOW CYCLING & WALKING TO WORK AFFECTS HEALTH


-> Yes! Magazine reports on the largest ever study into how cycling and walking to work affects your health. (Association Between Active Commuting and Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and Mortality: Prospective Cohort Study: http://bit.ly/2p7tDRv) Published in the British Medical Journal, the results for cycling in particular have important implications. They suggest that councils and governments need to make it a top priority to encourage as many commuters to get on their bikes as possible. Researchers looked at 263,450 people with an average age of 53 who were either in paid employment or self-employed, and didn’t always work at home. Participants were asked whether they usually traveled to work by car, public transport, walking, cycling or a combination. They followed participants for about 5 years. They found that cycling to work was associated with a 41 percent lower risk of dying overall compared to commuting by car or public transport. Cycle commuters had a 52 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease and a 40 percent lower risk of dying from cancer. They also had 46 percent lower risk of developing heart disease and a 45 percent lower risk of developing cancer at all. Walking to work was not associated with a lower risk of dying from all causes. Walkers did, however, have a 27 percent lower risk of heart disease and a 36 percent lower risk of dying from it. http://bit.ly/2qENWFV

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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GETTING KIDS MOVING NOW SAVES BILLIONS LATER


-> Education Week reports fewer than 1 in 3 American children get enough exercise every week. If they don't get more active, more than 8 million will be obese by their 18th birthdays—and their health care and lost productivity as adults could cost the country close to $3 trillion, finds a new study in the journal Health Affairs. (Modeling The Economic And Health Impact Of Increasing Children’s Physical Activity In The United States: http://bit.ly/2pVwhfY) Researchers found fewer than 32 percent of children ages 8 to 11 get at least 25 minutes of strong physical activity at least three times a week. Using a computer simulation of all children in that age group nationwide, the researchers found that increasing the percentage of children who exercise regularly to 50 percent would cut the adult obesity rate and save nearly $22 billion in medical costs and lost productivity over their lifetimes. Getting at least 3 out of 4 kids active would save more than $40 billion. http://bit.ly/2pVvgEB


from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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Teach them early to sit and be inactive


The big problem with early childhood education
By Valerie Strauss, Washington Post


Research in child development over decades as well as modern neuroscience clearly show that young children learn best when they are active. That means they get to put their hands on things, interact with other kids and adults, move a lot, create, play. But in the current school reform era, that’s not what is happening in too many classrooms. The emphasis is on “rigorous instruction,” and young children are forced to sit at their desks doing academic work — sometimes with little or no recess and/or sufficient physical education.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/12/this-is-how-to-help-young-children-learn-to-love-school/?utm_term=.cd7ae1d85464
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STREET TREES 101


-> Street trees are essential for strong walk appeal almost anywhere in the US, which makes them a fundamental part of the public frontage from the property line to the edge of the street. A Congress for the New Urbanism Public Square article provides a detailed primer on the importance of street trees to sustainability and walkability, and considerations in selecting and placing street trees. http://bit.ly/2igiTQg

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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U.S. life expectancy declines for the first time since 1993


By Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post

For the first time in more than two decades, life expectancy for Americans declined last year — a troubling development linked to a panoply of worsening health problems in the United States.
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“I think we should be very concerned,” said Princeton economist Anne Case, who called for thorough research on the increase in deaths from heart disease, the No. 1 killer in the United States. “This is singular. This doesn’t happen.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-life-expectancy-declines-for-the-first-time-since-1993/2016/12/07/7dcdc7b4-bc93-11e6-91ee-1adddfe36cbe_story.html
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US REPORT CARD ON KIDS’ PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: 21% MEET GUIDELINES


-> The National Physical Activity Plan Alliance has released the "2016 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth" (http://bit.ly/2fPIGwJ). Only 21% of American children are meeting current Physical Activity guidelines. The report card discusses how the U.S. is performing on 10 key indicators and what can be done to improve these outcomes in the future. http://bit.ly/2gwl2DR

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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