Ok. Time to collectively put down the chips and switch off the TV.
Such are the recommendations of this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the widely read public health journal of the Centers for Disease Control. Specifically, this issue of the MMWR outlines strategies for combating obesity from a local policy perspective, and wouldn’t you know it, many involve improving communities’ amenities and policies with respect to bicycles and pedestrians.
The article has also been summarized here by the National Complete Streets Coalition:
The suggested measure for communities to use is as follows:
Local government has a policy for designing and operating streets with safe access for all users which includes at least one element suggested by the National Complete Streets Coalition (http://www.completestreets.org).This measurement assesses whether a community has a policy for all-user street design, such as the Complete Streets program. Specific elements of the measurement are based on Complete Streets policy.
The other recommendations include:
* Enhance infrastructure supporting walking.
* Enhance infrastructure supporting bicycling.
* Improve access to public transportation.
* Zone for mixed-use development.
* Support locating schools within easy walking distance of residential areas.And another represents the way many communities are pursuing complete streets:
* Participate in community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity.
We could not agree more, and will continue to push for Complete Streets policies to be adopted by the county, MPO, cities and the state, not only for the public health benefit, but for the benefits to quality of life, economic development and safety.