Public Transit Design and Health (06-30-10)

Light-rail systems ease traffic congestion and reduce belt sizes.  People who ride the rails weigh less and are in better health than otherwise similar people who do not use light-rail systems. The risk of eventually becoming obese decreases 81% for light-rail users, apparently because the light-rail system encourages people riding it to walk more.  Building light-rail systems improves the health of people for whom stations are convenient as well as the environment.

John MacDonald, Robert Stokes, Deborah Cohen, Aaron Kofner, and Greg Ridgeway.  “The Effect of Light-Rail Transit on Body Mass Index and Physical Activity.”  American Journal f Preventive Medicine, in press.