“Asthma, obesity, heart disease, injury, diabetes. These are just a few of the health issues that we can work to address through a transportation policy that is built upon an understanding of the public health implicaiton of our transportation system..."

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                                               Georges C. Benjamin

" APHA Joins National Coalition in Issuing Transportation Reform Blueprint"

A Better Way to Get There

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Today’s transportation system must become more than a means of simply moving people and goods. It must reflect a new vision for thriving communities that supports equity, opportunity, healthy people and a healthy planet. The nation is ready for a 21st century vision in which active transportation such as walking, bicycling, and public transportation are normal modes of travel rather than “alternative” modes, where traffic injuries and harmful vehicle emissions are not acceptable side effects of mobility and where the most vulnerable communities are prioritized in community planning and development activities.

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This page contains tools and resources for advocates seeking to frame transportation in a way that supports policy for healthy living.

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Transportation Talking Points for Advocates

Here are some talking points which will help support your argument when writing letters to newspaper editors and op-ed columns, or pitching a story to a journalist.

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Letters to the Editor

• Is there a better way to get there?

By Larry Cohen, Executive Director of the Prevention Institute, Oakland

(New York Times, January 11, 2009)

• Roads must be safer for everyone

           By Janani Srikantharajah, Oakland

           (Oakland Tribune, March 18, 2009)

Related Resources

• Reducing the Burden of Poor Health and Health Inequities Through Transportation and Land-Use Policies

A transportation and land-use policy statement from the American Public Health Association

• The Transportation Prescription

A report by PolicyLink and Prevention Institute, commissioned by the Convergence Partnership, is a policy guide that analyzes the intersection of transportation, health and equity, providing key policy and program recommendations that can improve health outcomes in vulnerable communities, create economic opportunity, and enhance environmental quality.

• Transportation and Health 101 Toolkit

This toolkit by the Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership helps health advocates better understand transportation issues and their related health connections, and help inform transportation advocates on the importance of health in their work.