The academic behind the paper, University of Otago associate professor Caroline Shaw, says the government is heading in the wrong direction. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The transport system kills thousands of people prematurely each year, and the government's new transport plan will only make that worse, an academic says.
Just days after the government halved transport funding for walking and cycling, new research has revealed prioritising them would improve overall population health, save the health system money and reduce health inequities between Māori and non-Māori.
The academic behind the paper, University of Otago associate professor Caroline Shaw, said the government was heading in the wrong direction.
"We are already killing thousands of people prematurely in this country every year because of air pollution, injury and physical inactivity from the transport system, and the policy settings we're looking to put in place will likely make that worse, as well as not actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Shaw said.
Otago University associate professor Caroline Shaw. Photo: SUPPLIED
Shaw's research modelled two of the Climate Change Commission's "possible transport pathways" designed to reduce emissions, and assessed the impacts on air pollution, injury and physical inactivity.
The first, 'behaviour change' focused on dropping the use of cars and boosting walking, cycling and public transport use, while the second, 'technology change' focused on electrifying vehicles.
"Both of them were better than the current transport system for health."
And the behaviour pathway was significantly better, Shaw said.
She also compared the behaviour pathway with other policies designed to improve health and found the benefits were on par.
Prioritising cycling and walking would improve overall population health, save the health system money and reduce health inequities between Māori and non-Māori, new research shows. Photo: RNZ / Bill Hickman
"The behaviour pathway is about on the same level as tobacco tax increases of 10 percent each year, or the health gain you'd expect from putting in place a tobacco free generation," she said.
The government's National Land Transport Plan would see the country miss out on those potential health gains, Shaw said.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been approached for comment.
The research was funded by the Health Research Council - a Crown agency - and the University of Otago and published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.
