Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Bicycling for Transportation and Health

My pal April sent me this article from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation about a study out of Portland earlier today.  I thought it was so great that I wanted to share it with you all.

The aim of the study was to see how people utilize their bikes, and to determine whether biking for transportation is a feasible way of achieving the recommended amount of physical activity.  Basically, the researchers put GPS tracking devices on bikes and tracked the number of miles that were rode over a seven day period. They found that 60% of riders were active even more than recommended, and the participants rode mostly for utilitarian purposes rather than for exercise.  
They also found that the majority of riders utilized bike lanes and separate paths, and that this type of infrastructure is an important element for riders.  From the article: "This study underscores active living can be achieved for adults through routine cycling for transport if the environment is supportive".

Hear that Birmingham? Wondering why we're so fat? One explanation: WE NEED A SUPPORTIVE BIKING ENVIRONMENT!

You can find a link to the RWJF article here, and the full journal article here.

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