Reducing sedentary transportation, primarily automobile driving, has long been a goal of transportation planners, public policy officials, and environmental advocates. The benefits of reducing sedentary transport are well understood and will lead to increase daily physical activity for travelers, reduced automobile dependence, and improved air quality. Despite the recognized importance of reducing sedentary transport, actually reducing it has proven difficult.



Municipalities have tried a variety of policies such as reducing speed limits, improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Recently, cities have turned to bike sharing systems as one way to promote active travel. Previously untenable, electronic fare payment systems, asset management systems, and GPS technologies have enabled this rapid expansion of bike sharing systems.



METHODOLOGY



To assess which policies have been most effective at reducing sedentary transport researchers conducted a literature review of research on this topic. The research team searched a variety of online, research databases such as Web of Science using search terms like active transport, active travel, and bike share. The research team than evaluated the results of these studies and summarized their results. In the end the team reviewed and summarized 50 peer reviewed articles from a variety of disciplines including public health, urban planning, and transportation.