Transport and Health in London: The Main Impacts of London Road Transport on Health

The majority of Londoners’ travel time is spent on roads (80%) on foot, public transport, bicycle or in cars. This is where the majority of the health impacts of travel also lie. The health benefits of physical activity from walking and cycling outweigh the harms of exposure to

air pollution and road traffic injuries.

Currently around 25% of Londoners meet their minimum physical activity needs (150 minutes per week) through walking and cycling for transport alone. This is a significant contribution to overall activity levels in London.

The increased cycling expected by 2031 in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy could deliver health benefits of between 3,800 and 6,800 years of healthy life for the population of London. This is equivalent to nearly £250 million in monetary terms.

Looking further into the future, this research concludes that over 60% of travel time could theoretically be spent walking or cycling. Currently only 28% of travel time is, less than half of this theoretical potential. If, in the longer term, this theoretical potential could be fulfilled it would deliver over 61,500 years of health benefit each year. It would also mean that around 60% of Londonerscould meet their physical activity needs through transport alone. This would deliver an economic benefit of nearly £2.2billion.