[Note that the article quoted below is written by road.cc and is based in
turn on an article in the British Medical Journal.

The latter appears to be in the main a political treatise loosely based on
the alleged health benefits of so-called ‘active travel’ and some related
initiatives, about which consultant orthopaedic surgeons are not
necessarily better placed to comment than anyone else. The only reference
made to orthopaedics in this article is a passing remark to the level of
injuries related the speed of impact.

The professor suggests there is a need to "…demand 20 mph limits in all
areas where people are". Note that there is no similar plea mentioned for
cycles to be limited to 20mph despite the professional opinion expressed
that orthopaedic injuries get “…exponentially worse with every 1 mph
increase in speed”.

Also absent is any need to separate cyclists and pedestrians by something
more substantial than the pious hopes expressed in the Highway Code, and
painted lines on what was exclusive footways.

A glaring omission in this report is any reference to the health statistics
from The Netherlands, where for a number of the major killer diseases the
death statistics in that cycling-mad country seem to vary little from those
of the UK.

Perhaps the real agenda here is found in the statement “…Let's challenge
the UK's car dependency”.

However, keep in mind at all times that this is a report of a report,
written and published by road.cc]

Better knowledge of Highway Code changes to protect cyclists and more 20mph
speed limits recommended by professor who argues active travel is "best
buy" for improving nation's health

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Professor Scarlett McNally made the
case for exercise and active travel being a "miracle cure" that "improves
physical and mental health and reduces demands on NHS services and the need
for social care"...

by DAN ALEXANDER MON, MAR 11, 2024 17:50

A consultant orthopaedic surgeon has made the case for active travel being
the "best buy" for improving people's health, publishing a piece in the
British Medical Journal (BMJ) (link is external) arguing that encouraging
more cycling and walking journeys should be a priority in the United
Kingdom — with better communication of the Highway Code changes designed to
protect vulnerable road users, and wider implementation of 20mph speed
limits two of her suggestions for helping to "challenge the UK's car
dependency and enable active travel for everyone's health".

Professor Scarlett McNally authored the piece published in the BMJ, titled
'Enabling active travel can improve the UK's health', and looked at
research around active travel to highlight its health benefits before
recommending policy suggestions for bringing about more walking and cycling
journeys.

She began by acknowledging the "urgent need to improve the nation's health,
which worsened over the pandemic", and noted that an "abundance of evidence
and reports" point to exercise being a "miracle cure that improves physical
and mental health and reduces demands on NHS services and the need for
social care".

"The best forms of exercise are those that fit into everyday life," she
continued. "Active travel is a 'best buy' for improving health. Commuting
by cycling reduces incidence of, and mortality from, heart disease and
cancer by over 30 per cent in a dose dependent manner and reduces sick days
and depression."

However, citing Department for Transport statistics which show that 71 per
cent of women and 61 per cent of men believe it is too dangerous to cycle
on the UK's roads, Prof. McNally suggested the need for segregated safe
cycle routes which, when provided, "people use them, as has been
demonstrated in Paris".

"In the UK, massive central funds are spent on major roads. Conversely,
funds for infrastructure to support active travel are stuck in local
council budgets, which are facing a £4bn spending gap," she said before
making "four suggestions to support active travel cheaply".

Prof. McNally followed many road safety campaigners and charities, such as
Cycling UK, in calling for the Highway Code changes of January 2022,
brought in to better protect vulnerable road users, to be better
communicated to the public with a "bigger media campaign" about safe
overtaking distances, and pedestrian and cyclist priority at junctions.

Secondly, and based on the "horrific injuries I see in orthopaedic and
fracture clinics" that get "exponentially worse with every 1 mph increase
in speed", she suggested the need to "demand 20 mph limits in all areas
where people are".

Looking at the NHS itself, the consultant orthopaedic surgeon argued that
the NHS should be "role models" and lead the way on a modal shift from
driving to active travel, a transition enabled with pavements in all NHS
sites, secure cycle parking, and lockers for wet gear.

Fourthly, we need to link with other initiatives," she concluded. "Every
NHS organisation is required to deliver a 'green plan'. Active travel
reduces pollution, which causes catastrophic ill health and harms the
planet. Children getting to school under their own steam has huge benefits.
Many families cannot afford a second car or live in transport poverty.
People being able to get about safely reduces loneliness. Let's challenge
the UK's car dependency and enable active travel for everyone's health."

In January, we reported new research published in the International Journal
of Epidemiology which found that commuting by bike can improve mental
health, with those who cycle to work less likely to be prescribed
antidepressants.

"This work suggests that cycle commuting is causally related to reduced
mental ill-health and provides further evidence in support of the promotion
of active travel to encourage commuters travelling shorter distances to
shift to cycle commutes," the University of Edinburgh researchers
concluded.

Later in the same month, new research by the Swedish School of Sport and
Health Sciences in Stockholm, and published in the British Journal of
Sports Medicine, found that boosting cardiorespiratory fitness by three per
cent in a year was linked to a 35 per cent lower risk of developing
prostate cancer.

<https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-and-walking-miracle-cure-improve-health-307221>

--
Spike