A National Cycling Strategy: A Triple Win for Public Health

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) advocates for a National Cycling Strategy to address three public health crises: the rise of chronic diseases, the health costs of air pollution, and the global threat of climate change. The document highlights that active transportation can integrate exercise into daily routines, reduce the $10 billion annual cost of air pollution in Canada, and lower emissions from the transportation sector, which accounts for approximately 25% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

• A National Cycling Strategy could combat the rise of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, by promoting physical activity. Cardiovascular disease alone is estimated to cost Canada $12 billion annually.
• Active transportation like cycling addresses the primary barrier to physical activity—lack of time—by allowing exercise during commutes. Research indicates that walking or cycling to work can lower the risk of developing a chronic disease by 11%, though safety and protected bike lanes are critical for adoption, especially among women and children.
• Increasing cycling for short trips would reduce air pollution, which the CMA estimated in 2008 caused 21,000 premature deaths annually in Canada and cost $10 billion per year in lost time and direct health care costs.
• The transportation sector contributes approximately 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Shifting short car trips to bike trips is identified as a method to reduce these emissions and mitigate climate-related health threats, including heat waves, floods, and the spread of insect-borne diseases like Lyme Disease and West Nile Virus.

APA

Perrotta, K. (2017). A National Cycling Strategy: A Triple Win for Public Health. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/a-national-cycling-strategy-a-triple-win-for-public-health/

Chicago

Perrotta, Kim. A National Cycling Strategy: A Triple Win for Public Health. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2017. https://cape.ca/a-national-cycling-strategy-a-triple-win-for-public-health/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Perrotta |first1=Kim |title=A National Cycling Strategy: A Triple Win for Public Health |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=6 June 2017 |url=https://cape.ca/a-national-cycling-strategy-a-triple-win-for-public-health/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{perrotta2017national, author = {Perrotta, Kim}, title = {{A National Cycling Strategy: A Triple Win for Public Health}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2017}, month = jun, url = {https://cape.ca/a-national-cycling-strategy-a-triple-win-for-public-health/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }