Online tool aims to encourage healthier transportation choices

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new tool on Tuesday to help improve health using transportation.

The Transportation and Health Tool helps users see how many people are walking and bicycling as healthier alternatives to traditional transportation at the state and local level. It also shows the percentage of people driving and living near roads that have heavy traffic, as transportation affects air quality.

The tool uses several other indicators that can help policymakers see how investments in transportation are connected to health. Now metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), state departments of transportation, and local communities can better see how their current transportation system compares to others on various health indicators.

In addition, the new tool will show how communities and states are operating compared to neighboring states when it comes to a variety of health-related transportation issues.

The new Transportation and Health Tool, www.transportation.gov/transportation-health-tool, gives health officials, transportation decision makers and the public a better way to see how local and state transportation operations can impact health.

Other features of the tool is a database show how various strategies have been used in the past, how these proved to be effective or how they were ineffective. This will help the leaders develop strategies that will help the communities and local health.