“Transportation Department Promotes Cycling for Fun, Commuting.” This headline appeared in the November 1972 issue of the PCPFS newsletter. During that same year, the PCPFS adopted a resolution supporting bicycling and sent it to then Transportation Secretary, John Volpe, and Interior Secretary, Rogers Morton. What were the departments doing at the time to address the issue? Together, both departments published, “Bicycling for Recreation and Commuting,” which described government and grass root involvement in the promotion of bicycling as a form of transportation. The publication also covered issues including bicycle safety, commuting and recreational trails, and the steps involved in the development of a “model bicycle city.”

Today interest in the issues of walking and biking for transportation and the development of communities designed for such options is greater than ever. The Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Interior, Transportation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are working together to promote the use of recreational trails and other public lands and waters as places to engage in recreational and physical activities. An article published in the November 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, “Characteristics of physical activity levels among trail users in a U.S. national sample,” reported that people who cycle or walk on community trails at least once a week are twice as likely as people who rarely use such trails to get the recommended amount of daily exercise.

The establishment of the National Safe Routes to School program (funded by Congress in 2005 through the federal transportation bill) and subsequent development of the National Center for Safe Routes to School emphasize the importance of creating safe communities where children and adults can safely walk or bike to and from school grounds.

There are many partnerships on the State and local levels bringing together the health, recreation, transportation, and planning fields to encourage the development or promotion of public spaces that are activity-friendly. The increase in resources and national professional meetings focusing on this and related topics is proof that the public is taking note.

For more information, look for recent updates from HHS and other agencies or organizations listed in this newsletter. Do a web search utilizing terms such as parks and public health, active transportation, or active living (these terms are just a sampling). Be sure to check out the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Guide, which provides information on how to start an effective SRTS program.