Active Transportation

Active Transportation (AT) is a national movement to encourage Canadians to choose human-powered transportation for both a cleaner environment and for personal health. It promotes activities such as walking, biking, cross country skiing, etc. as a means of transportation, and also works to make routes safer and more accessible.

Benefits of AT initiatives are numerous, and have been shown to reduce costs and increase public health and tourism opportunities. Most benefits are inherent and fluid, transferring a positive impact throughout a number of areas and fields including recreation, tourism, health care, infrastructure, maintenance, real estate, and more. Significant economic impacts include:

• reduction in repair, maintenance and long term road construction costs;
• reduction in costs associated with greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution
• reduction in health care costs due to increased physical activity and mitigation of respiratory and cardiac disease, diabetes, and obesity;
• reduction of costs due to increased road safety and diminished traffic congestion;
• the opportunity for significant recreational tourism;
• increased product sales and manufacturing;
• increased property values along greenways and trails;
• increased productivity and a reduction of sick days and injuries at the workplace