Department of Transportation


New Jersey Future In Transportation

Healthy Streets and Communities

Healthy streets photo
Healthy streets encourage
people to get out of
their cars.
Urban and suburban areas that are designed to encourage people to walk or bike as part of their daily routine are good for public health. They make it easy for people to be active and physically fit, reducing obesity-related ailments such as diabetes and heart disease. Asthma, a serious respiratory condition linked to vehicle exhaust, has become an epidemic in recent years. In 2005, 8 percent of New Jersey's adult population and 12 percent of our children diagnosed with Asthma. Fewer cars on the roads means less vehicle exhaust, cleaner air and fewer asthma attacks in children. Through NJFIT, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is moving ahead with a transportation network that promotes the health of New Jersey residents.
"Recent studies using objective measures of total physical activity have found that residents of high-walkable neighborhoods get one hour more of physical activity each week and are 2.4 times more likely to meet physical activity recommendations than residents of low-walkable neighborhoods."
The Future of Children: A Collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution.

Promoting public health through physical activity
More than half of all New Jersey residents are overweight or obese, and are more likely than the average American to suffer from diabetes and heart disease - two ailments related to being overweight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that the design of communities, neighborhoods and transportation networks has an effect on people's ability to include physical activity into their daily routines. A transportation network that encourages people to get out of their cars and bike or walk supports people's need to stay active.

Several studies have taken a closer look at the relationship between community design, transportation and public health. Studies show that people who live in areas marked by sprawling development are likely to walk less, weigh more and suffer from chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and breathing difficulties than people who live in less sprawling areas.

A study conducted by the CDC during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games showed that providing more transportation choices and other traffic control measures reduced traffic 22 percent, air pollution 28 percent and asthma attacks up to 42 percent in children.

The Tools and Case Studies best associated with the
Healthy Streets and Communities FITness goal is listed below in the drop down boxes. Achieving this goal is possible through the application of various tools and programs.


 


Last updated date: October 10, 2019 1:59 PM