$142 billion in annual national health costs from obesity, $50-80 billion from traffic-related air pollution, $180 billion from traffic crashes: The health costs caused by the transportation system are too massive to ignore. But a new report by the American Public Health Association (APHA), “The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation,” shows that these costs are hidden in plain sight when most transportation policy, planning and funding decisions are made.
As the report shows, cost-benefit analyses for transportation projects are typically limited to costs of construction, right-of-way acquisition, operation and maintenance, travel time savings and any revenues generated such as tolls. These traditional accounting measures inflate the benefits of roadway projects and underestimate the benefits of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects. APHA’s report makes the case for including health factors such as opportunities for physical activity, increased exposure to air pollution, number of traffic crashes and costs associated with these impacts.
The report calls for the federal government to make the following policy changes:
- Significantly increase federal investment in active transportation choices.
- Establish a national set of health-related policy objectives as part of the criteria for federal transportation funding.
- Better account for health costs and benefits in the transportation planning, funding, and decision-making process.
- Fund research to document the health costs of transportation investments and develop and apply evidence-based tools that account for the health impacts of such investments.