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Busy streets may harm health

People who live in streets which carry heavy traffic are more likely to be ill than those in streets with only light traffic, say researchers at Lancaster University.

An investigation of over 1,000 households in ten urban areas in Scotland and the north of England showed that a range of symptoms — including headache, breathing difficulties, cough and lack of energy — were more common in residents of busy streets. The study, which was carried out by Lancaster University’s Environmental Epidemiology Research Unit for the Greenpeace Environmental Trust, took account of other factors which might affect health, such as smoking, income, employment and pre-existing disease.

John Whitelegg, who headed the research and is now an environmental consultant, said that there was a direct relationship between the number of vehicles passing where someone lived and the amount of illness they experienced. He wants to see the development of car-free, bicycle-only communities in the UK, along the lines of examples elsewhere in Europe.

‘Because travel is so cheap, we use it without considering the implications,’ he said. ‘A lifestyle based on travel is not sustainable any more. Travel has to be reduced.’

The study also found that people living in damp properties or homes with mould were more likely than others to report illness, though the effect of traffic was still significant after this was allowed for.

Traffic volumes are forecast to rise by between 83 per cent and 142 per cent over the next 30 years.