Active commuting will boost the nationís health

Commuters should be encouraged to walk and cycle to work if the government wants to prevent the nationís workforce suffering from obesity, mental health issues and other serious health problems.

Active travel and healthy workplaces, the latest information sheet from Sustrans Active Travel, spells out the benefits to employers of investing in their staffís health and promoting active travel to work. As well as being more productive, active employees take less sick days which collectively cost 100 billion to the UK economy in 2007.

The information sheet shows that 25 million people travel to work every day and around 71 per cent choose to commute by car. However, with rising fuel prices and increasing congestion in our towns and cities, walking or cycling to work remains the cheapest and most convenient way for most people to get the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week.

Sustransí information sheet coincides with a review of the government-backed Well@Work project, which has shown that encouraging work-based activity - from commuting by bike to taking the stairs instead of the lift - can improve employee health and physical activity levels.

Dame Carol Black, National Director for Work and Health, said: ìActive staff are more motivated and less prone to sickness, leading to financial reward for employers. A healthy workplace is therefore something for all responsible and forward-looking businesses to aspire to.î

Sustrans is already working with employers to boost healthy workplaces. Its Get Moving North Tyneside project is helping employees at Cobalt Business Park to plan their walk or cycle journey to work. The project is also offering on-road cycle skills training for new or returning cyclists to boost their confidence, while staff with less cycling experience can register their route and get paired up with a more experienced ëBike Buddyí.

Generation Active in Hyndburn has established a monthly work-based cycle club for Hyndburn Borough Council staff and is also running Bike Buddy programmes, cycle maintenance training and bike loan schemes.

Commuting on the National Cycle Network, Sustransí flagship project, accounted for 12 per cent of all trips in 2007, with an average urban commute of just under five miles ñ the same distance as nearly two-thirds of car journeys.

The Active travel and healthy workplaces information sheet can be downloaded at www.activetravel.org.uk

Further information about Sustrans, including other news releases and detailed online route mapping, is available through our website: