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- Andersson, Dan, 1967-
(författare)
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Exploring Perceptions of Route Environments in Relation to Walking
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Every walk takes place in a route environment, which can play an important role in deterring or facilitating walking. The focus of this thesis is on the perceptions of environmental variables, and how they relate to appraisals of route environments as hindering – stimulating for walking and unsafe – safe for reasons of traffic, in two metropolitan environments. Another focus is to expand the state of knowledge concerning the criterion-related validity of the Active Commuting Route Environment Scale (ACRES).Methods: Commuting pedestrians in Greater Stockholm, Sweden, were recruited via advertisements. From the inner urban area there were 294 participants (77% women), aged 49.5 years, and from the suburban areas there were 233 participants (82% women), aged 50.0 years. 77 individuals walked in both areas. The participants evaluated their commuting route environments using the ACRES. Correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analyses were used to explore the relationships between the variables. Comparisons of environmental ratings between groups and settings were performed with t-tests. Studies 1 and 2 focused on the inner urban area and studies 3 and 4 on the suburban areas. Studies 1 and 3 focused exclusively on the relations between the four motorized traffic variables (vehicle speed, vehicle flow, noise, and exhaust fumes), and their relations to the outcome variables (hinders – stimulates walking and unsafe – safe traffic). Studies 2 and 4 utilised proxies from studies 1 and 3 and combined them with other environmental variables to further the understanding of route environmental variables in relation to walking.Results: In both areas, aesthetics and greenery were positively related to stimulating walking, whereas noise, a proxy for motorized traffic, was negatively related. Aesthetics was also positively related to unsafe – safe traffic in the inner urban area, whereas greenery had the corresponding role in suburbia. Another important finding was that greenery also influenced aesthetics positively in both areas. Thus, greenery had both a direct and an indirect positive effect. On the other hand, noise influenced aesthetics negatively in the inner urban area, whereas vehicle flow had the corresponding role in suburbia. A number of variables conjointly influenced the outcome unsafe – safe traffic negatively in both areas (speeds of motor vehicles, noise, conflicts, congestion: pedestrians, red lights, and course of the route). The route environment profiles differed distinctly between the two areas.Conclusions: Several route environmental variables appear to be particularly influential in relation to pedestrian commuting, e.g., aesthetics, greenery, and noise. An important finding is that both positive and negative interactions, between certain predictor variables, were disclosed. The contrasting route environment profiles in the different settings strengthen the criterion-related validity of the ACRES. The findings expands the state of knowledge concerning the relations between the environment and walking. If implemented, these findings can influence public health positively.
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| 2. |
- Nilsson Sommar, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Overall health impacts of a potential increase in cycle commuting in Stockholm, Sweden
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : Sage Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 50, s. 552-564
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To estimate the overall health impact of transferring commuting trips from car to bicycle..Design and setting: In this study registry information on location of home and work for residents in the County of Stockholm was used to obtain the shortest travel route on a network of bicycle paths and roads. Current modes of travel to work were based on travel survey data. The relation between duration of cycling and distance cycled was established as a basis for selecting the number of individuals that normally would drive a car to their work place, but have a distance to work that they could bicycle within 30 minutes. The change in traffic flows was estimated by a transport model (LuTrans) and effects on road traffic injuries and fatalities were estimated by using national hospital injury data. Effects on air pollution concentrations were modelled using dispersion models.Results: Within the scenario, 111 000 commuters would shift from car to bicycle. This corresponds to 32% of the existing car commuters. On average the increased physical activity reduced the one-year mortality risk by 12% among the additional bicyclists corresponding to 16 fewer premature deaths per year. Including the number of years lost due to morbidity, the total number of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) gained was 696. The amount of DALYs per year gained in the general population due to reduced air pollution concentrations at home addresses was 471. The number of DALYs lost by traffic injuries was 176. Including also air pollution effects among bicyclists, the scenario was calculated to each year give a net benefit of 939 DALYs.Conclusion: The health impact assessment of transferring commuting by car to bicycle estimated large health benefits even then considering injuries and air pollution exposure among bicyclists.
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