Smart Ideas at the Intersection of Transportation, Health, ...( How bold transport...),Health

How bold transportation policies can make all communities healthier and stronger

OAKLAND, Calif., July 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The $450 billion federal transportation bill being debated in Congress right now will clearly have a tremendous impact on how Americans get around for decades to come. But a new report by PolicyLink and Prevention Institute shows how the same level of investment -- done right --- could make millions of Americans healthier and cut down on rampant health disparities in low-income communities and communities of color.

The new report, The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America, lays out key policies and programs that would help improve health outcomes in vulnerable communities, create economic opportunity, and enhance environmental quality. From obesity and asthma to fresh-food access and pedestrian safety, transportation and health are inextricably linked.

Featuring a foreword by Rep. Jim Oberstar, the chairman of the influential House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the author of the proposed federal transportation bill, the report provides a much-needed guide to smart, sustainable transportation policies that will reform our current transportation system to help Americans live safer, healthier lives.

"For too long now, our transportation decision-making has failed to address the impacts that our infrastructure network has on public health and equity," Rep. Oberstar writes in the foreword. "The asphalt poured and lane miles constructed enhanced our mobility and strengthened our economic growth; but too often, this auto-centric mindset took hold and crowded out opportunities to invest
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