Report: Using public transportation can keep you fit and possibly lengthen your lifespan

The report also noted that public transportation could help lower someone's risk in five of the 10 leading causes of reduced lifespan, as listed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which includes cancer, heart disease, and motor vehicle crashes. Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, who conducted this study for APTA, wrote, "Pollution contributes to cancer and congenital anomalies [birth defects], and sedentary living ... contributes to heart disease and strokes."

In his research, Litman found significantly less traffic-related fatalities in cities where public transit is more commonly used: Fatalities due to auto accidents is four per 100,000 residents in the Bronx, New York, while in Miami, Kansas, where cars are the main mode of transport, the rate is 40 per 100,000.

Litman believes that the aforementioned health benefits should be highly regarded in transportation planning, writing that, "A growing portion of households want to rely more on alternative modes and live in more accessible, multi-modal communities. Accommodating this demand would provide benefits to users and society, including significant health benefits."

In conclusion, public transit benefits our health, safety, and environment; more public transportation networks in cities could lend to an overall healthier planet.

Information via Autoblog Green; photo by Chris Metcalf via Flickr.