A trio of linked papers published in The Lancet Planetary Health and The Lancet Public Health look at transport behaviours and related health outcomes in cities during public emergencies.

Ruth Hunter and colleagues find that across 507 cities globally, relatively simple and low-cost measures, like pedestrianising some roads and providing financial support for public transit use, successfully increased active transport on a large scale during the COVID-19 pandemic and could have lasting positive effects if carried forward. Kerry Nice and colleagues observe notable reductions in NO₂ and PM_2·5 emissions associated with widespread public health measures in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020; unfortunately, in most cities, and especially those with an infrastructure that encouraged replacement of active travel and public transit by private car journeys, air pollution and road traffic injuries returned to pre-pandemic levels or worse by the end of 2020. However, in some cities where infrastructure does not favour private vehicle use, the health benefits of reduced air pollution and road accidents were maintained. Leandro Garcia and colleagues suggest that shifting city mobility toward a greater proportion through active travel could reduce deaths from flooding and infectious disease outbreaks by increasing cities’ resilience to these health- and climate-related shocks.

"Our findings can help us to design and inform communities, policies, and actions that promote healthy urban planning, transport planning, city design, reducing global inequalities, pandemic preparedness, climate action, and capacity building, and future-proof our cities against the impact of impending pandemics and climate emergencies"

Lead investigator, Ruth Hunter

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